Department for Transport

Railways: Standards

James Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many direct train services there were per day between (a) Edinburgh, (b) Glasgow, (c) Newcastle, (d) Birmingham, (e) Nottingham, (f) Derby, (g) Peterborough, (h) Norwich, (i) Portsmouth, (j) Southampton, (k) Preston, (l) Stoke-on-Trent, (m) Leeds, (n) Sheffield, (o) Liverpool and London in (A) the year before privatisation of the railways and (B) the last financial year.

James Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many seats on direct train services there were per day between (a) Edinburgh, (b) Glasgow, (c) Newcastle, (d) Birmingham, (e) Nottingham, (f) Derby, (g) Peterborough, (h) Norwich, (i) Portsmouth, (j) Southampton, (k) Preston, (l) Stoke-on-Trent, (m) Leeds, (n) Sheffield, (o) Liverpool and London in (A) the year before privatisation of the railways and (B) the last financial year.

Andrew Jones: The Department does not hold the specific information requested. However, industry figures from the Rail Delivery Group suggest that the number of planned train services per year has increased from 5.69 million in 1997-98 to 7.30 million in 2016/17. The industry also cites some specific examples of increased services on routes to London, such as Manchester to London increasing from 17 trains per day in 1994 to 47 in 2016, and the number of trains from London to Sheffield increasing from 15 per day in 1994 to 31 in 2016. In relation to the number of seats, According to the Rail Delivery Group, there were 10,400 vehicles in passenger use in 1996/97 compared to 14,025 as at March 2018, an increase of over 3,500 vehicles or nearly 35%. This additional fleet capacity is helping to lengthen trains and contribute towards the thousands of extra rail services each week.

Railways: Operating Costs

James Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the net cost to the public purse was of subsidising the running of services not including enhancements or repairs on the railways in (a) the year before privatisation and (b) the last financial year in (i) cash terms and (ii) real terms at prices in the last financial year.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: In 2017-18, train operating companies provided a net premium of £0.2 billion to central government. In 1993-94, train operating companies received a net subsidy of £0.9 billion in nominal terms (£1.5 billion in real terms) from central government. For additional information on train operating companies net premiums and subsidies please refer to the Office of Rail and Road data at the link below:http://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/displayreport/report/html/a830de20-83bf-408d-9c22-7f3ec23999f9

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether High Speed Two will be delivered (a) on time and (b) on budget.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The 2015 Spending Review confirmed a funding envelope for the whole of HS2 of £55.7bn in 2015 prices. HS2 Ltd has been set Delivery-In-Service targets by Government under its Development Agreement, which are to deliver initial Phase One services from 2026 and the whole HS2 network by 2033. HS2 Ltd is currently working with their contracted suppliers to update and agree the latest cost and schedule positions for Phase One. Once completed we will make these details public as part of the Phase One Full Business Case, which is due for publication later in 2019.

East Midlands Rail Franchise

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, at what stage in the franchise process the decision was taken to exclude Stagecoach from bidding for the East Midlands franchise.

Andrew Jones: The decision was made shortly before Stagecoach was informed of the disqualification decision on 9 April 2019.

East Midlands Trains: Pensions

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assurances Abellio have provided his Department in relation to the pensions of staff employed on the East Midlands line.

Andrew Jones: The Railways Pension Scheme was established in 1994, replacing the previous British Rail scheme. Contributions in to the Railways Pension Scheme are split according to a shared cost arrangement, whereby employers (the Train Operating Companies) pay 60% and employees pay the remaining 40%. Since franchising arrangements were first introduced Train Operating Companies have been, and continue to be, responsible for paying employer pension contributions during a franchise term.   Under the East Midlands Franchise Agreement Abellio will participate in and become the Designated Employer for the East Midlands section of the Railways Pension Scheme. Abellio will be obliged by the Franchise Agreement to pay the employer contributions required under the schedule of contributions applicable during their franchise term. All of Abellio’s pensions related obligations are detailed in Schedule 16.1 to the Franchise Agreement which will be published in due course.

Motorways: Accidents

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of accidents involving (a) personal injury and (b) death on (i) permanent all-lane running sections and (ii) dynamic all-lane running sections of smart motorways in each of the last three years.

Jesse Norman: England’s motorways are among the safest roads in the world and each smart motorway scheme’s safety objective is to be at least as safe as the traditional motorway it replaces. All Highways England schemes are evaluated after opening. In addition, Highways England have carried out a more detailed review of the first two permanent all lane running schemes, on the M25, after one, two and three years of operation. From review of personal injury data (including fatal incidents) it has been demonstrated that the safety objective set for these all lane running smart motorways has been met. The three-year evaluation reports for both M25 schemes are publicly available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/m25-junction-5-to-7-third-year-evaluation-report https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/m25-junction-23-to-27-third-year-evaluation-report This assessment approach of evaluating the first three years of operation was also taken for the first dynamic hard shoulder running scheme on the M42. The three-year evaluation report for the M42 is publicly available here: http://highwaysengland.co.uk/knowledge-compendium/knowledge/publications/m42-mm-monitoring-and-evaluation-three-year-safety-review/index.html

Motorways: Laybys

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what criteria his Department uses for the spacing of emergency refuge lay-bys on (a) permanent and (b) dynamic all-lane running sections of smart motorways.

Jesse Norman: The criterion for the spacing of emergency areas for the initial dynamic hard shoulder running pilot scheme on the M42 was set at approximately 500 metres. Based on more operational insight and further performance data, the spacing was progressively increased to a maximum of 1000 metres on all other dynamic hard shoulder running schemes and then to 2500 metres on existing All Lane Running schemes.Highways England undertook a comprehensive review of smart motorways and found no consistent correlation between the number of live lane stops and the spacing of emergency areas. Nevertheless, Highways England understand motorists want to feel safe and therefore are making a number of changes to the design of emergency areas.On new schemes, starting construction from 2020 onwards, the maximum spacing of emergency areas will be reduced to 1600 metres (1 mile). Highways England are also enhancing the visibility of emergency areas on all new and existing smart motorways by installing orange surfacing and improved, more frequent signs. These changes are designed to help drivers feel more confident that they can find a safe place to stop in an emergency.

Motorways

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the timing of the implementation of dynamic all-lane running on smart motorways.

Jesse Norman: Highways England operational staff are automatically alerted to rising traffic flows from roadside detectors. At a pre-determined threshold, operators are prompted to begin the process of opening the hard shoulder. CCTV is used to check for any stopped vehicles or obstructions in the hard shoulder. Once checked, the hard shoulder is opened to traffic by the operator implementing a speed limit sign above the hard shoulder. The decision to close the hard shoulder is again taken based on location specific, pre-determined, traffic flow thresholds.

Motorways

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the locations of (a) permanent and (b) dynamic all-lane running sections of smart motorways.

Jesse Norman: The locations of smart motorway sections in England are as follows: (a)  All Lane Running Smart Motorway schemeRegionStatus of schemeM1 J16-19MidlandsOperationalM1 J23a-25MidlandsOperationalM1 J28-31MidlandsOperationalM5 J4a-6MidlandsOperationalM6 J10a-13MidlandsOperationalM1 J32-35aNorth EastOperationalM1 J39-42North EastOperationalM25 J5-7South EastOperationalM25 J23-27South EastOperationalM3 J2-4aSouth EastOperationalM6 J16-19North WestOperationalM62 J18-20North WestOperationalM1 J13-16MidlandsIn ConstructionM6 J2-4MidlandsIn ConstructionM6 J13-15MidlandsIn ConstructionM20 J3-5South EastIn ConstructionM23 J8-10South EastIn ConstructionM27 J4-11South EastIn ConstructionM4 J3-12South EastIn ConstructionM62 J10-12North WestIn Construction (b) Dynamic Hard Shoulder Running Smart Motorway schemeRegionStatus of schemeM1 J10-13EastOperationalM42 J3a-7MidlandsOperationalM6 J4-10aMidlandsOperationalM4 J19-20South WestOperationalM5 J15-17South WestOperationalM62 J25-30North EastOperational

Railways: Franchises

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the disqualification of Stagecoach from three rail franchise bids, what recent assessment he has made of the viability of the rail franchise system.

Andrew Jones: The Williams Review is currently considering potential rail industry structures and will summarise its recommendations as part of a white paper in Autumn 2019.

Virgin Trains: Staff

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the disqualification of Stagecoach from three rail franchise bids, what steps is he taking to help protect the (a) jobs and (b) terms and conditions of all staff employed by Virgin Trains West Coast.

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the disqualification of Stagecoach from three rail franchise bids, what steps he is taking to help ensure that the jobs and terms and conditions of all staff employed by sub-contractors for Virgin Trains West Coast are protected.

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the potential effect on job (a) numbers and (b) roles of staff employed by Virgin Trains West Coast of the disqualification of Stagecoach from three rail franchise bids.

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the potential effect on job (a) numbers and (b) roles of staff employed via subcontractors on the Virgin Trains West Coast line of the disqualification of Stagecoach from three rail franchise bids.

Andrew Jones: The Invitation to Tender for the West Coast Partnership does not specify a reduction in any staff, and is explicit in its requirement for a franchisee who will provide a high-quality experience for all customers, including through excellent customer service.Overall, since 2010/11 we have seen an increase in the total number of people employed by Train Operating Companies of nearly 20%.

West Coast Partnership Rail Franchise

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether a train guard will be retained on every train in the next West Coast Main Line franchise contract.

Andrew Jones: The Invitation to Tender for the West Coast Partnership does not specify a reduction in any staff, and is explicit in its requirement for a franchisee who will provide a high-quality experience for all customers, including through excellent customer service.

West Coast Partnership Rail Franchise

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the current catering provision will be (a) maintained and (b) expanded in the next West Coast Main Line franchise contract.

Andrew Jones: The West Coast Partnership Invitation to Tender incentivizes a future franchise operator to develop proposals to significantly improve the overall catering offer for passengers, such as improving passenger choice, quality, complimentary first class catering and offering advance ordering or at seat services.

West Coast Partnership Rail Franchise

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the current ticket office provision will be (a) maintained and (b) expanded in the next West Coast Main Line franchise contract.

Andrew Jones: The West Coast Partnership Invitation to Tender requires any future franchise operator to deliver a high-quality standard of ticket retailing service to all customers which will provide them with widespread and easy access to the full range of fares and a range of ticket retail opportunities that meet their needs.

West Coast Partnership Rail Franchise

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the current level of provision of station staff will be (a) maintained and (b) expanded in the next West Coast Main Line Franchise contract.

Andrew Jones: The Invitation to Tender for the West Coast Partnership does not specify a reduction in any staff (including on train), and is explicit in its requirement for a franchisee who will provide a high-quality experience for all customers, including through excellent customer service.

West Coast Partnership Rail Franchise

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the disqualification of Stagecoach from three rail franchise bids, whether Virgin Trains will retain the West Coast Main Line franchise until March 2020.

Andrew Jones: The current franchise agreement with West Coast Trains Limited is due to expire on 1 April 2020. There is a contractual option to terminate the franchise agreement at the Secretary of State’s discretion no earlier than 11 November 2019 upon the provision of three months’ notice to West Coast Trains Limited.

West Coast Partnership Rail Franchise

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the disqualification of Stagecoach from three rail franchise bids, what steps his Department has taken to ensure the compliance of the remaining bidders for the West Coast Main Line franchise.

Andrew Jones: The Department does not comment on a live competition. All bids received for any franchise competition are evaluated against the requirements and instructions set out in the relevant Invitation to Tender.

Stagecoach Group

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions officials in his Department have had with the Pensions Regulator on the decision to disqualify Stagecoach from bidding on three rail franchises.

Andrew Jones: Department for Transport officials had no discussions with The Pensions Regulator in respect of the Department’s intention to disqualify Stagecoach from the three franchise competitions before making that decision. All bidders were given the same opportunity to bid compliantly and they were warned not to submit bids which were not compliant. Stagecoach breached established rules and, in doing so, they are responsible for their own disqualification.

Stagecoach Group and Virgin Trains: Pensions

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government is taking to help safeguard the pensions of rail workers employed by (a) Stagecoach and (b) Virgin Trains.

Andrew Jones: Responsibility for providing pensions for employees in the rail franchising system resides with train operators. Under current franchising arrangements when contracts are awarded train operators are required, under the terms of Schedule 16 of the Franchise Agreement, to provide pensions. This requirement will continue to apply when the new train operator takes over responsibility for pensions in which the current rail workers employed by Stagecoach and Virgin Trains participate.

Roads: Standards

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he will take to support improving key roads that are official diversion routes for motorways that are not in the major road network.

Jesse Norman: Highways England and the relevant local authority work together to identify local roads that are official diversionary routes. As part of this, a risk assessment is undertaken to determine a route’s suitability. That assessment includes taking account of suitability and physical characteristics.Diversion route planning is conducted in close liaison with the local highway authority traffic manager, and includes liaison with other key local stakeholders as deemed necessary by the authority.The Government is providing over £6.6 billion funding for local highways maintenance between 2015 and 2021. It is for local highway authorities to decide how this funding is utilised, including on improvement of key diversionary roads, based on local needs and priorities.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Keir Starmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many lorry movements would be required to move Euston approaches excavated material by HGV; and what estimate he has made of the cost of moving that material by (a) HGV and (b) rail.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The volume of lorry movements to move excavated material by HGV is detailed in the HS2 Phase One Environmental Statement and the cost is included within the HS2 budget. The cost of moving material by rail is more expensive than moving material by road because it requires investment in rail infrastructure and the cost of operating and maintaining the freight service. HS2 Ltd and its contractors are committed to identifying options to reduce the impact of lorry movements and where practicable maximise the volume of material transported by rail.

Transport: Infrastructure

Craig Tracey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress the Government has made on improving transport infrastructure in areas with a high number of new build homes.

Jesse Norman: The Government has invested £1.2bn through the Housing Infrastructure Fund to support housing and further announcements through this £5.5bn fund are expected later this year. A significant number of HIF bids include transport infrastructure.The Government is also investing in transport supporting new home construction through the Transforming Cities Fund, Major Road Network, and projects in the Oxford-Cambridge Arc, and it is promoting integrated housing and transport planning, for example through the revised National Planning Policy Framework.

Low Emission Zones

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to enable local authorities to introduce ultra-low emission zones; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: Local authorities already have powers under the Transport Act 2000 to implement Clean Air Zones. The Clean Air Zone (CAZ) Framework sets out the principles for the operation of Clean Air Zones in England. It provides the expected approach to be taken by local authorities when implementing and operating a Clean Air Zone. The full guide provided to local authorities is in the link below.https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/612592/clean-air-zone-framework.pdf

Offshore Industry: Helicopters

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent representations he has received from representatives from oil and gas companies on (a) safety and (b) regulatory standards in the offshore helicopter transport industry.

Jesse Norman: The Department for Transport officials met twice with representatives from Oil and Gas UK to discuss safety in 2018/2019. Regulatory Standards were not raised in these meetings.

Offshore Industry: Helicopters

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 1 April 2019 to Question 237684 on Offshore Industry: Helicopters, what the timeframe is for the publication of the Civil Aviation Authority review of CAP1145.

Jesse Norman: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) seeks to ensure that North Sea helicopter flight is as safe as possible. It is carefully reviewing the Recommendations and Actions in CAP 1145 to check that they achieve the objective of making further improvements to offshore helicopter safety standards.The CAA currently intends to publish the review in the autumn of 2019.

Offshore Industry: Helicopters

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 1 April 2019 to Question 237686 on Offshore Industry: Helicopters, what changes have been made to the Civil Aviation Authority's safety assurance policy since 2014.

Jesse Norman: The Civil Aviation Authority’s safety assurance policy was established in 2017. Since 2017, one minor revision to the policy has been made.

Offshore Industry: Helicopters

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of the level of (a) current and (b) future demand for pilots in the offshore helicopter transport sector.

Jesse Norman: The Government has not made an assessment of the current and future demand for offshore helicopter pilots. However, understanding the current and future demand and equipping the aviation sector with the skills it needs to succeed, including pilot training, is an important part of the Government’s strategy for aviation. The Aviation 2050 consultation now under way considers proposals to overcome financial, social mobility and diversity barriers that may prevent people from entering the aviation sector now and in the future.

Volkswagen

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what penalties have been imposed on Volkswagen in the UK since the scandal on excessive emissions levels.

Jesse Norman: It is for the German Government in the first place to take action given that the vast majority, if not all, of the potential wrongdoing is thought to have occurred at Volkswagen AG in Germany. The Department will assess the prospects of taking action in the UK once the German investigation is complete, based on evidence available at the time.

Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency

Stephen Kerr: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the arrangements are for the governance and accountability of the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency; and what plans there are to review those arrangements.

Jesse Norman: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has robust governance and accountability arrangements in place, which are published at www.gov.uk/government/organisations/driver-and-vehicle-standards-agency/about/our-governance. The Cabinet Office is planning a tailored review of the DVSA’s control and governance arrangements, later this financial year. The review will ensure that the DVSA is complying with recognised principles of good corporate governance, and that it has the capacity to deliver its services effectively and efficiently.

Driving Tests: Rural Areas

Stephen Kerr: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what policies and guidance there are to ensure that people living in rural areas have adequate access to driving centres through the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency network.

Jesse Norman: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has policies and guidance in place to ensure that people living in rural areas where the population is equal to, or fewer than, 100 persons per square kilometre, should not have to travel more than 30 miles to take their test. The DVSA takes this travel distance criterion into account when deciding on locations for new driving test centres.

Civil Aviation Authority

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the last date was on which the Civil Aviation Authority conducted a campaign to (a) raise awareness of the dangers of illegal public transport operations and (b) guide consumers on what to look for when chartering an aircraft to ensure the flight is legal; how many illegal operators were identified; how many successful prosecutions there were of illegal operators arising from that campaign; what the outcomes were; how many airfields were revealed to be hosting illegal activity; and what steps (i) he and (ii) the CAA has taken to place an obligation on airfield operators to report suspicions of illegal public transport operations to the (A) CAA and (B) police.

Jesse Norman: The CAA last conducted a campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of illegal public transport operations, and to guide consumers on what to look for when chartering an aircraft to ensure the flight is legal, in 2013. The CAA is planning further work to educate consumers about the rules, and the potential risks of illegal charter flights.It is not possible to link work aimed at raising awareness directly to specific enforcement actions. The CAA will prosecute people where there is sufficient evidence, and where it is in the public interest to do so, but enforcement action will vary depending on the circumstances of the incident. It includes educating individuals or organisations on the regulations to avoid breaches, a formal warning, the revocation of licences, approvals or certificates, or criminal investigations and prosecutions. The CAA publishes the detail and outcome of all successful prosecutions since 2005 on its website at https://www.caa.co.uk/Our-work/About-us/Enforcement-and-prosecutions/. These include successful prosecutions for illegal public transport. Earlier this year, the CAA assisted with the prosecution of an individual in the Manchester Crown Court for, among other things, illegal public transport. Both the CAA and the police encourage the reporting of potential illegal activity at airfields and provide a number of channels, including confidential reporting, for concerns to be reported.

Railways: Sheffield

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of trains between (a) Sheffield and London and (b) London and Sheffield arrived on time between (i) April 2017 and March 2018 and (ii) April 2018 and March 2019.

Andrew Jones: The Department does not hold data on what proportion of trains between London and Sheffield and Sheffield and London arrived on time between April 2017 and March 2018 and April 2018 and March 2019 as it does not have a requirement for information on the performance of specific journeys.

East Midlands Rail Franchise: Pensions

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 25 April 2019 to Question 245609 on Railways: Franchises, whether the recent bidders for the East Midlands Trains franchise were subject to different requirements from those of previous bidders in respect of their responsibilities for pension contributions (a) now and (b) at a later date.

Andrew Jones: No. Since privatisation, train operators have always been, and will continue to be, responsible for paying employer pension contributions required under the schedule of contributions applicable during their franchise term. There are no plans to change this arrangement.

East Midlands Rail Franchise: Rolling Stock

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 23 April 2019 to Question 244025 on East Midlands Rail Franchise: Rolling Stock, what type of train will replace existing rolling stock; and which train routes those trains will be transferred from.

Andrew Jones: The procurement of the trains that replace the current rolling stock is matter for the new operator.

Railways: Disability

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he has taken to ensure that disabled people are able to access rail travel (a) in the absence of second safety critical member of staff and (b) at unstaffed stations.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Inclusive Transport Strategy, which was published in July 2018, sets out the action the Department is taking to improve access to transport for disabled people, including to the rail network. This includes working with industry partners to improve the Passenger Assist scheme through which disabled passengers can book the assistance they need, and the provision of information about accessibility to enable better journey planning. All operators are required as a licence condition to have a Disabled People’s Protection Policy in place, which sets out how disabled people can seek assistance on board and at stations.

Railways: Disability

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on disabled passenger access to the rail network of (a) driver-only operations and (b) unstaffed stations.

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on disabled people's access to the rail network of (a) ensuring that trains are run with a second member of staff and (b) increasing the number of stations that are staffed on a full-time basis.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: With growing passenger numbers, the Department has been clear that it wants to see more customer-facing staff on the railways, not fewer. For example, there are now more on-train staff on Southern and South Western Railways and their modernisation plans will mean more staff to assist passengers on trains. Regarding off-train staff, the number of staff employed at stations in Hampshire has increased by nearly 10% since 2010. In addition, train and station operators are required as a condition of their licence to take part in the Passenger Assist scheme through which disabled passengers can book the assistance they need. We believe that train operators themselves are best placed to determine how staff are deployed to best meet the needs of their passengers.

Railways: Disability

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations his Department has received from (a) organisations representing disabled people and (b) disabled people on the accessibility of the rail network.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Department is committed to ensuring that disabled people have equal access to the rail network. As such, officials and Ministers regularly engage with disabled people and organisations representing disabled people to discuss making the railways more accessible. This includes, for example, the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee, who are statutory independent advisors to the Government; extensive engagement with disabled people and disability organisations in the development and delivery of the Inclusive Transport Strategy; and the Inclusive Transport Stakeholder Group, which brings together the expertise of representative bodies to act as a sounding board for the Department on inclusive travel policy.

Public Transport

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many full-time equivalent (a) civil servants and (b) contractors in his Department are working on matters in relation to accessibility (i) on buses and the bus network; and (ii) railway stations and on rolling stock.

Jesse Norman: The Government is committed to developing a transport network which disabled individuals can use easily, confidently and without additional cost. Consistent with this commitment, and with its Public Sector Equality Duty, the Department routinely considers the impact of its policies on people with protected characteristics, including those who are disabled. Matters concerning accessibility are therefore considered by officials working across a range of bus and rail related workstreams in addition to the central accessible travel team, and it is not possible to disaggregate the amount of Full Time Equivalent resource dedicated to accessibility.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of electric vehicle charging points in Nottinghamshire.

Jesse Norman: Nottingham City Council has been awarded £6m under the Government’s Go Ultra Low Cities Scheme to deliver a range of initiatives in Nottingham and Derby to increase the uptake of ultra-low emission vehicles, including deploying 35 rapid and 195 fast charging units at key locations across the cities. The Council has also been awarded £700k under the Ultra-low Emission Taxi Infrastructure Scheme, to deliver 20 rapid chargepoints and 12 fast chargepoints dedicated to taxis and private hire vehicles. The Government has various UK-wide support schemes in place to assist with the cost of installing chargepoints in motorists’ homes, on residential streets, in workplaces, car parks and the wider public estate. The workplace scheme has provided funding for 59 chargepoints in the wider Nottingham area.

Airports: Unmanned Air Vehicles

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of the recent introduction by the Civil Aviation Authority of Flight Restriction Zones around protected aerodromes on the interests of members of the British Model Flying Association in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: The flight restriction zone around aerodromes was developed in response to submissions gathered through our consultation on the safe and effective regulation of drones, ‘Taking Flight: The Future of Drones in the UK’. There was significant interest in the consultation, which closed in September 2018 and received around 5,000 responses. A range of options were considered when developing the extended restriction zone and factors including impacts on all airspace users, safety, security and the communication and enforceability of the zone were all evaluated. The new legislation takes the same approach as the former restriction zone by allowing any small unmanned aircraft, including model aircraft, to fly within the restriction zone where the relevant permission has been received. When an Air Traffic Control Unit (ATCU) is operational, permission needs to be sought from this unit. The CAA will be assessing the permissions process as part of a wider review of airport restriction zones later this year.

Bus Services: Per Capita Costs

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of the average price-per-mile for bus travel in (a) each region of the UK and (b) each bus franchise operating in the UK.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Department has not made a recent assessment of the average price per mile for bus travel. The bus market outside London is deregulated and decisions regarding setting the level of fares, is primarily a commercial matter for bus operators.Bus Open Data powers in the Bus Services Act 2017 will require bus operators in England to open up route and timetable, fares and tickets and real time information for passengers from 2020. These improvements aim to remove uncertainty in bus journeys, improve journey planning and help passengers secure best value tickets.

Department for Transport: Secondment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many civil servants in his Department have been seconded to (a) the Department for Exiting the European Union and (b) the Department for International Trade in each of the last three years.

Jesse Norman: The information requested for all three years can only be provided at disproportionate cost. However, of the information that is more readily available, the Central Department and its Executive Agencies does hold information for the previous year which is as follows:  Department for Exiting the European Union (DExEU)Department for International Trade (DIT)1 April 2018 – 31 March 201975 or fewer

Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission

Electoral Register

Nick Smith: To ask the hon. Member for Houghton and Sunderland South, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what assessment the Commission has made of the effect on trends in the level of voter registration of information sharing between Government and local authorities.

Bridget Phillipson: In 2011 and 2012, the Electoral Commission carried out an evaluation of the Government’s pilots to test the extent to which data held on national public databases could assist Electoral Registration Officers in maintaining their electoral registers. Its evaluations found that the principle of sharing data had potential but that the approach, as piloted, was not effective.The Commission has recently undertaken feasibility studies examining how publicly-held data could be used to improve registration. The findings will be published in the summer.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Whirlpool Corporation: Tumble Dryers

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent steps he has taken to increase consumer awareness of the risks associated with unmodified Whirlpool tumble dryers.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) published the findings of its review of Whirlpool’s tumble dryer modification programme on 4 April. This included reviewing whether Whirlpool’s consumer outreach programme was adequate. OPSS has written to Whirlpool setting out the actions it must take, including using more creative ways to reach affected consumers who have not yet come forward to minimise the risk of unmodified machines still being in people’s homes. Whirlpool has 28 days to respond from the date of the letter setting out what further actions it will take. OPSS will hold Whirlpool to account in regard to these requirements. Consumers also have access to a central recalls website covering all electrical recalls via GOV.UK.

Heating: Housing

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to encourage householders to change from gas heating to (a) electric heating, (b) heat pumps and (c) hydrogen-burning radiators.

Claire Perry: Transforming how we heat our homes is one of the most difficult decarbonisation challenges facing the country. A number of options have the potential for achieving this, including heat networks, heat pumps, hydrogen and biogas. We need to continue exploring and testing different approaches to heat decarbonisation. Through the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme we are spending £4.5 billion between 2016 and 2021 to support innovative low-carbon heat technologies in homes and businesses, including heat pumps. BEIS is considering the future policy framework for supporting electrification of heat and we are looking to launch an electrification of heat demonstration project in 2019 to inform our thinking on the feasibility of a large-scale transition to heat pumps. For hydrogen as an option for decarbonising heat, more work is needed to prove the safety and feasibility case as well as to gain a better understanding of the costs and benefits. BEIS is currently working towards building a programme of work to address these evidence gaps in partnership with industry, academia and other key stakeholders. This includes the £25m BEIS-funded Hy4Heat programme, which is exploring the safety of using 100% hydrogen for heating in buildings and the development of domestic hydrogen boilers.

Post Office

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many times Ministers in his Department have met the Chair of the Post Office in the last 12 months.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Chair of Post Office, Tim Parker has met with Ministers twice in the last 12 months.

Post Office: Civil Proceedings

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many times Ministers in his Department have met Post Office (a) directors and (b) officials to discuss the ongoing group litigation order taken by subpostmasters against the Post Office.

Kelly Tolhurst: Ministers have met with directors and officials of the Post Office four times in the last 12 months to discuss a number of topics including the ongoing group litigation.

Post Office

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many times Ministers in his Department have met the Chief Finance & Operations Officer of Post Office Limited in the last 12 months.

Kelly Tolhurst: As the Special Shareholder of Post Office Limited, my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State appoints a Non-Executive Representative to the Post Office board to provide shareholder oversight of the company. Ministers have also met the Chief Finance and Operations Officer of Post Office Limited once and had a telephone conversations with him in the last 12 months.

Post Office

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many times Ministers in his Department have met each of the four Non-Executive Directors of Post Office Limited in the last 12 months.

Kelly Tolhurst: As the Special Shareholder of Post Office Limited, my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State nominates one Non-Executive Director, and ministers have met him regularly over the last 12 months. Ministers have also met with the chairman of the board and had a telephone conversation with him in the last 12 months.

Post Office

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many times Ministers in his Department have met the Company Secretary of Post Office Limited in the last 12 months.

Kelly Tolhurst: As the Special Shareholder of Post Office Limited, my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State appoints a Non-Executive Representative to the Post Office board to provide shareholder oversight of the company. Ministers have also met the Company Secretary of Post Office Limited and had a telephone conversation with her once in the last 12 months.

Fracking: Water

Lee Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what information his Department holds on when in hydraulic fracturing operations the operator knows which type of water treatment and disposal facilities will be needed for the (a) treatment and (b) disposal of the waste water.

Claire Perry: As part of the environmental permit application, and before any hydraulic fracturing can take place, operators must submit a waste management plan to the Environment Agency for approval. This describes the processes and the types of extractive waste that will be generated at the site. The plan must set out how the operator will manage, minimise, reuse, recycle and dispose safely of the extractive waste, and how they will monitor the extractive waste.

Artificial Intelligence: Employment

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent steps he has taken to train and prepare workers for the impact of artificial intelligence.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Industrial Strategy sets out the Government’s vision to make the UK a global centre for AI and data innovation, alongside measures to ensure our people are equipped to capitalise on those opportunities. We are improving the UK's system for training in digital skills and lifelong learning to ensure that working people have the support they need to navigate the challenge of automation to a higher-wage future. Through the Industrial Strategy we are delivering: 16 New Centres for Doctoral Training at universities across the country, delivering 1,000 new PhDs over the next 5 years;New prestigious AI fellowships to attract and retain the top AI talent, underpinned by up to £50m of funding agreed at Autumn BudgetIndustry-funding for new AI Masters places;Invested £406m in maths, digital and technical education; andCommitted £100m for the first phase of developing the National Retraining Scheme to support people vulnerable to technological change.  The Government’s Good Work Plan was published in December 2018 and will ensure that the labour market continues to work for everyone. The Plan commits to a wide range of policy and legislative changes to ensure that workers can access fair and decent work, that both employers and workers have the clarity they need to understand their employment relationships, and that the enforcement system is fair and fit for purpose.

Energy

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to protect customers from the potential negative effects of collapse of energy retail companies.

Claire Perry: Where an energy supplier fails its customers are quickly transferred to another supplier appointed by Ofgem and their account balances are protected. Ofgem are considering a range of options to limit consumers’ exposure to the costs of supplier failures and plan to consult further in the summer. The choice for consumers has increased from 13 suppliers in 2010 to around 60 now, with a wide range of innovative tariffs, competitive prices and low-carbon products.

Liquefied Petroleum Gas and Natural Gas: Competition

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what comparative assessment his Department has made of the number of customers who switched suppliers of (a) LPG and (b) mains gas in each of the last three years for which data is available.

Claire Perry: According to data held by the Competition and Markets Authority, the annual switching rate for suppliers of Liquified Petroleum Gas in 2016, 2017 and 2018 is: Year to 31 MayMetered estates (%)*Single tanks (%)*20161.143.7220171.354.5820181.675.27 * Calculated as the percentage of customers switching away compared to the size of the customer base at the start of the year. The data regarding mains gas switching is publicly available information, and can be found at https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/data-portal/number-domestic-customers-switching-supplier-fuel-type-gb

Liquefied Petroleum Gas: Competition

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment  his Department has made of the effectiveness of the regulation of the LPG market by the Competition and Markets Authority.

Kelly Tolhurst: The monitoring of the liquefied petroleum gas supply market for domestic suppliers is a matter for the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) exercising its role as an independent competition authority. Domestic bulk LPG suppliers remain subject to regulation under the CMA Statutory Orders and the CMA continues to monitor compliance with these Orders and the 2012 voluntary agreements. More information is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/liquefied-petroleum-gas-lpg-market-orders-and-calculator In February 2018 the CMA published a factsheet and short animation explaining switching rights for new and existing Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) customers on metered estates: www.gov.uk/government/news/cma-advises-liquefied-petroleum-gas-customers-on-switching-rights. This was accompanied by updated guidance from the sector trade association UKLPG for its members about how best to communicate with residents of metered estates about their supply and switching options and a Q&A for residents on their website.

Retail Trade

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department has taken to promote the retail industry through the Government's Industrial Strategy.

Kelly Tolhurst: Holding answer received on 07 May 2019



At Autumn Budget 2018, my rt. hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer announced the Future High Streets Fund, which aims to invest £675m in England to support local areas to develop and fund plans to make their high streets and town centres fit for the future. Autumn Budget also announced a cut in business rates by one third for the next two years for all retailers in England with a rateable value below £51,000, worth almost £1bn to retailers. The industry-led Retail Sector Council has agreed its priority work areas for the next two years, focusing on: costs to business, skills and lifelong learning, employment protections, the circular economy, consumer protections, and retail and the Industrial Strategy. A senior industry figure is leading each of these work groups and will bring proposals for action for both industry and government back to the Council for consideration. The Industrial Strategy workstream is led by Sir Charlie Mayfield, Chairman of the John Lewis Partnership and member of the Industrial Strategy Council, and will look at how the Industrial Strategy can work to the benefit of the retail sector.  As part of the Industrial Strategy, and following the Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices, the Government responded with the Good Work Plan, which will bring forward legislation to extend workers’ rights, including for people who work in the retail sector. This includes the introduction of new guidance to support the interpretation of holiday pay rules, as well as the biggest ever increase to the National Living Wage. An awareness campaign will be launched, targeted at both individuals and employers, to boost awareness and understanding to help ensure all workers are benefiting from their paid entitlement to leave. All these measures will improve the wages and working contracts of many of those working in the retail sector.

Energy: Meters

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure the affordability of electrical smart meters.

Claire Perry: Energy suppliers are responsible for the procurement of smart meters and have commercial incentives to drive down the costs of metering. Moreover, a number of meter manufacturers operate in the GB energy market and competition in the supply of meters also helps to exert downward pressure on costs. Consumers pay for metering costs (whether traditional or smart) as part of their energy bills. The Government has put measures in place to prohibit energy suppliers from charging households upfront for the costs of a smart meter and its installation.

Carbon Emissions: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Energy and Clean Growth of 23 April 2019, Official Report, column 690, what are the market mechanisms put in place to deliver CO2 reductions in Northern Ireland since the closure of the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme; and if she will make a statement.

Claire Perry: Energy policy, including heat, is devolved for Northern Ireland. Section 113 of the Energy Act 2011 contains provisions enabling the Northern Ireland Executive to make regulations to introduce and operate a RHI scheme in Northern Ireland. The GB RHI scheme is completely separate to the NI RHI scheme, with different scheme rules. Between 1990 and 2016, Northern Ireland reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 16%[1]. The Government has been working with Northern Ireland’s Executive in areas such as the future of carbon pricing after we leave the European Union. The UK Government and the Devolved Administrations (the Scottish Government; the Welsh Government; and the Northern Ireland Executive) have jointly published a consultation document on the UK’s future approach to carbon pricing. The consultation plays a vital role in helping the government fulfil its commitment to carbon pricing as an effective emissions reduction tool, as outlined in the Clean Growth Strategy This is a joint consultation and the Devolved Administrations are co-authors and Government officials have worked with devolved administration’s counterparts throughout the process. At ministerial level I have regular quadrilaterals and Northern Ireland is represented by senior civil servants. [1] Source: http://naei.beis.gov.uk/reports/reports?report_id=958

Drax Power Station: Biofuels

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what sums have been paid in subsidy in each of the last five years to Drax power station for burning wood pellets.

Claire Perry: Over the last five years, Drax’s renewable electricity generation from the co-firing of biomass and the conversion of coal-fired units to 100% biomass has been supported under the Renewables Obligation (RO) scheme. From 21 December 2016, Drax’s 3rd Conversion Unit (Unit 1) has received support under the Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme. Units 2, 3 and 4 remain under the RO. Information is not available on support under the RO specifically for burning wood pellets. Therefore, the figures in the table below give the value of support for all of Drax’s renewable electricity generation under the scheme, to the nearest million pounds.  2013/142014/152015/162016/172017/18Renewables Obligation[1]£181m£399m£548m£548m£399mPayments to individual projects are not reported separately under the CfD scheme. The total value of payments to all the CfD supported projects is available in the annual reports from the Low Carbon Contracts Company, the CfD scheme administrator, at: https://www.lowcarboncontracts.uk/publications?f%5B0%5D=field_publications_category%3A29[1] The Renewables Obligation figures are the notional value of support, based on Ofgem’s certificate report as at 01/05/2019 from their Renewables and CHP Register.

*No heading*

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the environment of carbon capture technology.

Claire Perry: The Government believes that carbon capture usage and storage (CCUS) has the potential to play an important role in meeting the UK’s climate targets. CCUS can add value to the economy and help tackle hard to decarbonise sectors. Our CCUS Action Plan is designed to progress CCUS in the UK, including enabling the UK’s first CCUS facility to be operational from the mid-2020s. CCUS is also likely to play an important role in achieving our Industrial Clusters Mission, creating the world’s first net-zero industrial cluster by 2040. In progressing CCUS, the UK has already established a robust regulatory framework for CCUS, with regulations applying to licensing, environmental inspection and CO2 storage, operation and monitoring activities. This means that any CCUS project will need to comply with a rigorous health and safety assessment and require permits and approval from relevant environment agencies, the Health and Safety Executive and the Oil and Gas Authority.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Libya: Undocumented Migrants

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if his Department will support search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean for people trying to flee Libya.

Sir Alan Duncan: The UK Government currently supports the EU's Operation Sophia through the provision of staff to its Operational Headquarters, although Operation Sophia's naval operations are currently suspended. There is no evidence of an increase in the volumes of migrants seeking to cross the central Mediterranean from Libya to Europe. However, we are monitoring this situation closely. The UK Government continues to call on all parties to the conflict in Libya to commit to a ceasefire, ensure humanitarian access to aid the voluntary evacuation of civilians, and a return to the political process.

Democracy and Human Rights: Annual Reports

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when his Department plans to publish the next annual Human Rights and Democracy report.

Mark Field: ​The 2018 Human Rights and Democracy report is due to be published in early June 2019.

Firearms: Regulation

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to promote stronger gun control laws throughout the world.

Sir Alan Duncan: Domestic gun laws elsewhere are a matter for those respective countries.

Malaysia: Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the validity of reports that the British High Commission in Malaysia provided financial support to the Kuala Lumpur think tank Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs while that institute argued against tobacco control legislation, including tobacco taxes and plain packaging.

Mark Field: The British High Commission in Kuala Lumpur has, in the past, commissioned the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) to undertake projects that support the UK’s prosperity, economic and political agenda in Malaysia. These projects were delivered between 2013 and 2017 and were not associated in any way with the promotion of tobacco products. The Government takes very seriously its obligations as a Party to the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. HMG in Malaysia has not co-financed or partnered in any way with tobacco companies whether through our Prosperity or Global Britain Funds. Foreign and Commonwealth Office-led programmes follow the standards set out by Her Majesty's Treasury. They receive robust scrutiny to ensure that all spend represents value for money for UK taxpayers and advances the UN’s sustainable development goals and our foreign policy objectives.​

Tobacco

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that officials of his Department comply with his Department's guidance on support in relation to the tobacco industry; and whether overseas diplomatic staff of his Department have met with representatives of the tobacco industry.

Mark Field: The Government takes very seriously its obligations as a Party to the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). This includes the treaty commitment at Article 5.3 to protect public health policies with respect to tobacco control from commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry. The FCTC does not prohibit meetings with representatives of the tobacco industry but the Foreign and Commonwealth Office issues guidance annually to all staff on limiting support to the tobacco industry to ensure FCTC compliance. We do not hold a central record of staff meetings with third parties. ​

Iraq: Islamic State

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that children born under Isis in Iraq are formally recognised.

Mark Field: ​Children born under Daesh in Iraq remain particularly vulnerable and present significant protection challenges. We continue to raise with the Iraqi authorities the importance of formal recognition of children born under Daesh. We welcome the steps recently taken by the Iraqi government to address the specific problem of the legal status of children born to Yezidi survivors as a result of sexual violence.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Emerdata

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether (a) his Department, (b) his Department's agencies and (c) his Department's associated public bodies have entered into contracts with Emerdata Limited in the last year.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has not entered into any contracts with Emerdata Limited.Information relating to FCO Executive Agencies and public bodies is not held centrally and therefore not readily available.

Attorney General

Prosecutions: West Midlands

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Attorney General, in how many cases did the West Midlands Crown Prosecution Service decide not to charge a suspect on the grounds of (a) the evidential test and (b) the public interest test in each of the last five years.

Robert Buckland: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a central record of the number of suspects referred to prosecutors for a pre-charge decision and the number of decisions not to prosecute suspects following the charging decision.When prosecutors make decisions on cases, they refer to The Code for Crown Prosecutors. The Code contains a two stage test which has to be met before a suspect can be charged; the evidential stage followed by the public interest stage. When deciding whether there is enough evidence to charge, prosecutors must consider whether evidence can be used in court and is reliable and credible, and there is no other material that might affect the sufficiency of evidence. Prosecutors must be satisfied there is enough evidence to provide a "realistic prospect of conviction" against each defendant. At the public interest stage the prosecutor must consider whether a prosecution is required in the public interest. A prosecution will usually take place unless the prosecutor is sure that the public interest factors tending against prosecution outweigh those tending in favour.The table below shows the volume and percentage of decisions not to prosecute for evidential and public interest reasons for the West Midlands Area in each year from 2013/14 to 2017/18.  2013-20142014-20152015-20162016-20172017-2018 Volume%Volume%Volume%Volume%Volume%No Prosecution - Evidential4,76018.8%5,39616.1%4,58018.7%4,47917.4%3,58913.8%No Prosecution - Public Interest1520.6%5841.7%1650.7%1640.6%1830.7%Total of Evidential & Public Interest4,91219.4%5,98017.8%4,74519.3%4,64318.1%3,77214.5%Total Decisions Made25,360 33,600 24,542 25,708 26,026 Data Source: CPS Management Information System

Department of Health and Social Care

Cannabis: Medical Treatments

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timeframe is for the process evaluation being undertaken by the NHS on prescribing cannabis-based products for medical use; and if he will he make a statement.

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, who he will be engaging with in the process evaluation on prescribing cannabis-based products for medical use.

Seema Kennedy: NHS England has been asked to provide an interim report to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care by the end of May 2019. The review will be clinically led by the NHS England and NHS Improvement Medical Director and Chief Pharmaceutical Officer, drawing on further specialist support as required.NHS England will work with patient groups and the All Party Parliamentary Group on Medical Cannabis under Prescription to identify a sample of patients that have been seeking to access cannabis-based products for medicinal use through the National Health Service. Case reviews will involve interviews with relevant individuals who are involved in the decision to prescribe cannabis-based products for medicinal use, including patients, carers and relevant trust staff.

Cannabis: Medical Treatments

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how the National Institute for Health Research will identify patients with severe intractable epilepsy to use as a placebo in research into the safety and clinical efficacy and effectiveness of cannabis-based products for medical use in humans.

Seema Kennedy: To stimulate research proposals, the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) has issued two calls for research into cannabis-based products for medicinal use and has taken steps to advertise the call to all manufacturers interested in supplying the United Kingdom market.The NIHR also remain open to the submission of proposals outside of these specific calls. Proposals made to NIHR are assessed for scientific rigour, which will include the design of the trials, before funding is allocated to the applicants.The process for selecting people for inclusion in any trials will be determined by the researchers and will be dependent on the study design used in the trial.

Preventive Medicine

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Prevention is better than cure vision published by his Department in November 2018, whether the forthcoming prevention Green Paper will include oral health.

Seema Kennedy: We are considering a number of policy options for the prevention green paper and will be mindful of oral health opportunities.

European Reference Networks

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assurances he has (a) sought and (b) received from the European Commission that the UK will be allowed to continue to participate in European Reference Networks in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government remains focused on ensuring our smooth and orderly withdrawal from the European Union with a deal as soon as possible. The United Kingdom would like to explore participation in European Reference Networks beyond 2020 as part of detailed negotiations on our future relationship. However, in the event of no-deal, current EU legislation states that only EU and European Economic Area Member States are permitted to participate in the European Reference Networks. The UK is considering potential alternatives to participation in the European Reference Networks as part of no deal preparations.

Rare Diseases: Medical Treatments

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to ensure that the UK will (a) be able to continue to participate in European Reference Networks and (b) co-operate with the EU on the development of rare disease care and treatment in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Caroline Dinenage: In the July 2018 white paper ‘The future relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union’, the Government set out its aim to explore continued participation in European Reference Networks as part of a future agreement on science and innovation. The European Commission have shown that they recognise the significant expertise of UK clinicians. Both sides appreciate the importance of maintaining UK participation. The UK and the EU have a long track record of jointly tackling global challenges with strong existing links between our research and innovation communities. The Government wants to continue the joint EU and UK benefit realised from this shared collaboration on research and innovation.

NHS: Capital Investment

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans in the 2019 spending review to allocate funding to provide for the work required on NHS critical infrastructure; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: The Spending Review, which is expected to be later this year, will set future years capital budgets. This will consider the case and options for capital investment in the National Health Service, including in supporting and maintaining critical infrastructure in the NHS.The majority of NHS capital assets are owned by individual NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts, who in aggregate make capital investments of around £3 billion annually. NHS planning guidance for 2019-20 has been clear that local organisations should set out how their proposed capital investments are consistent with their clinical strategies and how they demonstrate the delivery of safe, productive services that are affordable to the organisation.

NHS: Lancashire

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what type of NHS positions were vacant in Lancashire as of 31 March 2019.

Stephen Hammond: The data is not available in the format requested.The number of National Health Service vacancies in England as at 31 March 2019 will become available on 30 May 2019, when NHS Improvement and NHS Digital are due to produce a joint vacancy statistics report.

Hospitals: Construction

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what major hospital redevelopments are planned in the next 24 months; and whether those redevelopments include the centralisation of acute hospital sites.

Stephen Hammond: The following table shows a list of major hospital redevelopments that have confirmed capital funding from the sustainability and transformation partnership programme and other funding sources. Lead OrganisationSchemeTotal Scheme Value £ millionUnder ConstructionBrighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust3Ts Scheme - three-phase building works to deliver a Regional Centre for Teaching, Trauma and Tertiary Care.484Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS TrustA new hospital development to deliver more care outside hospital, whilst ensuring a world class facility for urgent and specialist treatment.450Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS TrustMidland Metropolitan Hospital - new acute hospital at Grove Lane, Smethwick site and community facilities.340Subject to business case approvalShrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS TrustSustainable Services Project.312Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustOne Acute Network – Acute Reconfiguration in Dorset147MSB Hospital GroupReconfiguration of hospital services at the Mid-and-South Essex Acute Hospitals118Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation TrustProject Oriel - a new eye care, research and education facility344Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation TrustReconfiguration of hospital services196.5Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustCambridge Children’s HospitalUp to £100 million With regard to the centralisation of acute hospital sites, NHS England guidance on service change is clear that schemes should not progress to consultation without explicit support from NHS Improvement and NHS England.This evidence is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/planning-assuring-delivering-service-change-v6-1.pdf

Health Services: Immigrants

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for his policies of the conclusions of the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration’s report: An Inspection of the Home Office Borders, Immigration and Citizenship System’s policies and practices relating to charging and fees.

Stephen Hammond: The Department will consider the implications of the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration’s report: ‘An Inspection of the Home Office Borders, Immigration and Citizenship Systems’ as part of its ongoing commitment to keep the charging regulations under review and will take any action it deems necessary.

Health Services: Immigrants

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the (a) equity and (b) effectiveness of the immigration health surcharge.

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of exempting doctors from the immigration health surcharge; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: The immigration health surcharge applies to non-European Economic Area nationals subject to immigration control coming to live, work and study in the United Kingdom and is payable as part of their visa application. The surcharge provides comprehensive access to NHS services regardless of the amount of care needed during a person’s time in the UK, and includes treatment for pre-existing conditions. This represents excellent value when compared to the alternatives and ensures that individuals do not need to worry about insurance or pay for unexpected treatment whilst they are here. The surcharge also reduces the administrative burden on the NHS frontline associated with identifying chargeable patients and recovering charges.Whilst the Government fully recognises the contribution that international professionals make to the UK and to our health service, it is only right that all those who come to the UK to live, work and study should contribute to the running of the NHS.

Social Services

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether local authorities have a duty to identify the role of companion animals in an individual’s care and support plan and needs assessment.

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether getting a cat as a pet is recommended to individuals as part of their individual care and support plan.

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether an individual in receipt of a personal budget as part of a care and support plan can allocate funds from that budget to funding care for their pets.

Caroline Dinenage: Personal budgets (particularly direct payments) are designed to be used flexibly and innovatively and so there should be no unreasonable restriction placed on the use of the payment, as long as it is being used to meet eligible care and support needs in line with the care and support plan agreed between those requiring care and their local team which includes healthcare professionals. The local authority then has a duty to ensure that their care meets the needs of the eligible person, and to continue to oversee that care to ensure it addresses the identified needs.The Department does not make specific recommendations on what should be included in care and support plans, nor do we require local authorities to identify the role of companion animals. Instead, there are exclusions listed within the regulations. Taking this into account, it is the responsibility of clinicians and local teams, in co-operation with patients, their families and carers, to determine what will be included in the care and support plan.

Cancer: Drugs

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 25 April 2019 to Question 245610, how many forms of cancer have no maintenance drug available at any stage in the treatment plan.

Seema Kennedy: The information requested is not available.

Four Seasons Health Care: Insolvency

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what contingency plans his Department has made for the maintenance of the provision of services as a result of Four Seasons Care Homes going into administration.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) have been and will continue to monitor the administration and sales process of Four Seasons Health Care Group closely over the coming weeks and months. There will be no immediate impact on people receiving care from Four Seasons Healthcare Group, nor the company’s 22,000 employees.The CQC’s Market Oversight regulatory responsibility is to advise local authorities if they believe that there will be likely service cessation as a result of business failure. They have been monitoring the company’s position and will continue to do so until the sale is completed. They are clear that there is no risk to continuity of care at this time.The Care Act 2014 places duties on local authorities to intervene to protect individuals where their care provider is no longer able to carry on because of business failure. There should never be a gap in the care that an individual receives.Departmental officials are working closely with the CQC, the Local Government Association, the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, NHS England and Four Seasons Healthcare Group to ensure that individuals’ care and support needs continue to be met.

Four Seasons Health Care: Insolvency

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect on NHS Trusts of the announcement that Four Seasons Healthcare has gone into administration; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Dinenage: There has been no reported impact on NHS services. NHS England and NHS Improvement have been working closely with Four Seasons Health Care and other organisations to ensure the continued running of services and have established a reporting system for the National Health Service to report any concerns. To date, no concerns have been reported, but NHS England and NHS Improvement will continue to monitor the situation.

Four Seasons Health Care: Insolvency

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department took to monitor the financial viability of Four Seasons Healthcare before that company entered administration; and whether NHS contracts were awarded to that company after financial health warnings were issued; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Dinenage: Four Seasons Health Care Group has been going through financial restructuring negotiations since December 2017. The announcement that the Group will be entering an independent sales process, facilitated by the appointment of administrators to the business’ two debt holding companies, marks the next stage in what has been a complex and protracted process. At no point in this process were warnings regarding the financial health of the company issued. The administration appointment and planned sales process will bring greater certainty to those in care, their families, and the 22,000 people employed by the company.The Care Quality Commission’s Market Oversight regulatory responsibility is to advise local authorities if they believe that there will be likely service cessation as a result of business failure. They have been monitoring the company’s position and will continue to do so until the sale is completed. They are clear that there is no risk to continuity of care at this time.Details of individual contracts held by local National Health Service organisations with private providers are not held centrally. It is the responsibility of the local NHS to check the financial viability of their service providers.A Written Ministerial Statement (HCWS1532) on the position of Four Seasons Healthcare Group was laid before the House on Wednesday 1 May 2019.

WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support the FCTC 2030 group of countries implement the provisions of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control relating to the tobacco track and trace system.

Seema Kennedy: The World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) is delivering the FCTC 2030 project, including supporting fifteen low and middle-income countries to accelerate the implementation of the WHO FCTC. Implementation of the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products, including tobacco track and trace systems, is not a specific area of focus for the FCTC 2030 project. However, several FCTC 2030 countries have joined the Protocol. The Secretariat of the WHO FCTC is encouraging all countries that are Parties to the WHO FCTC to also join the Protocol.

Obesity: Children

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to promote the child-obesity strategy developed by Leeds City Council to improve levels of nutrition among children from disadvantaged households in other areas of the UK.

Seema Kennedy: Through ‘Childhood obesity: a plan for action, Chapter 2’, we are delivering a Trailblazer Programme in partnership with the Local Government Association and Public Health England, working with local authorities to address childhood obesity at local level.The programme has a strong focus on inequalities and ethnic disparities in childhood obesity and in the next phase that begins this spring, the Trailblazer Programme will support five local authorities with £100,000 a year in funding to take innovative action to address these issues in their community.Brilliant, innovative projects are already taking place across the country, and we will look closely at what has worked in Leeds, and with our Trailblazer councils to consider what more the Government can do to enable ambitious local action.

Vaccination: Disinformation

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on the sharing of misinformation about vaccines on digital and social media platforms.

Seema Kennedy: We take the matter of misinformation about vaccines very seriously. That is why we are working with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and media companies, as outlined in the Online Harms White Paper, as part of wider work in challenging online misinformation

Pathology: Private Sector

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to ensure pathology service standards are protected in the event of a successful private bidder experiencing financial or leadership difficulties.

Stephen Hammond: As part of the pathology networking programme, NHS Improvement has issued a number of toolkits and guidance documents to support the clinical and commercial relationships that trusts enter into, whether they are between public sector organisations or with commercial organisations. This guidance has been drawn from lessons learnt by the sector from successful and unsuccessful networking programmes across England. It will be expected that all hospital trusts ensure adequate performance and review policies and commercial contract terms to provide assurance that the provider will take action in the event of any difficulty.In addition to this, NHS Improvement will be reissuing the Pathology Quality Assurance Dashboard (PQAD) (as recommended following the 2012 Barnes review into the King's Mill quality failure). This dashboard, aimed toward trust executives and boards, seeks to demonstrate the clinical, operational and commercial performance. The National Pathology Optimisation and Delivery Group is the oversight board for the pathology networking programme and includes members of the pathology community, arm’s length bodies and commissioners. It will be developing a governance role to ensure the network formation and PQAD are fit for purpose to enable individual trusts to identify issues early and in advance of them impacting upon patient care.

Pathology: Greater London

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department and NHS England have to consult with the public on (a) plans to merge pathology services in South East London hospitals into a single network and (b) plans to tender that contract to private companies.

Stephen Hammond: The South East London pathology network will reduce costs and boost quality of pathology service provision through collaboration and networking. This is part of a national strategy to network all National Health Service pathology services in England, due to the significant benefits identified in the 2016 Carter review.Due to the significant benefits to quality and cost of service, all NHS trusts are expected to network as per the direction set out by NHS Improvement in September 2017. NHS Improvement has set out guidance that includes a range of acceptable operating models for networks, including enabling them to work with any qualified provider. It is for individual Trust boards to assess and select the model that best serves their patients and that organisation. Informing this decision, NHS organisations have policies to ensure consultation around change with the community that they serve. The decision about consultation in this instance will sit with the South East London hospitals involved. Neither the Department or NHS England have plans to consult on this specific network.

Pathology: Greater London

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish any (a) impact and (b) risk assessments his Department has carried out on the proposed pathology network for South East London NHS Trusts and Foundation Trusts.

Stephen Hammond: The South East London pathology network will reduce costs and boost quality of pathology service provision through collaboration and networking. This is part of a national strategy to network all National Health Service pathology services in England, due to the significant benefits identified in the 2016 Carter review.All trusts involved in pathology network creation will need to submit clear business cases to support any proposed changes. NHS Improvement and the Department will review these cases with subject matter experts, to ensure changes will be of benefit to the NHS and deliver the services that patients expect and need. These business cases will contain commercially sensitive information and so will not be made public.

Pathology

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of pathology networks on (a) patient care and (b) NHS England’s finances.

Stephen Hammond: By 2021, all pathology services across England will be part of a pathology network. Pathology networks will mean quicker test turnaround times, improved access to more complex tests at a lower overall cost and better career opportunities for healthcare scientists and clinicians. This will improve the quality of the service offered to patients and benefit patient care. NHS Improvement estimates have suggested a single network is predicting to make savings of £26 million during the next five years, while others forecasting their average cost per test drop by a fifth, and overall the National Health Service hopes to save £200 million through the project by 2021.

Vaccination: Disinformation

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the misinformation on vaccination on digital and social media platforms.

Seema Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Romford (Andrew Rosindell MP) on 26 March 2019 Question 233488. We want to ensure that parents have the right information when making important choices such as vaccinations for their children – as well as for people of all ages eligible for vaccines against diseases such as meningitis and shingles. The Department is working with Public Health England to help remind people about the dreadful diseases vaccines protect against. We have also been in discussion with major social media companies such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram about the issue of misinformation and proliferation of harmful content and its impact on people’s mental health, holding a summit on Monday 28 April, where vaccines were also raised. We intend to follow this with another meeting in the summer.

Preventive Medicine

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to publish the prevention is better than a cure Green Paper; and whether that Green Paper will include provisions to improve vaccination rates in the UK.

Seema Kennedy: Last November, we published ‘Prevention is Better than Cure’; the Government vision on prevention. This set out a clear Government position on why prevention matters, and the role we all have to play in living healthier, happier lives. This year, we will publish a prevention Green Paper, setting out our plans in greater detail; drawing from evidence on the main causes of ill-health and disability.

Cancer

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the recent MacMillan Cancer Support Survey, what steps is he taking to ensure that there is adequate care and support from health or social services for cancer patients during their treatment.

Seema Kennedy: The National Health Service Long Term Plan published in January 2019 set out that by 2021, where appropriate, every person diagnosed with cancer will have access to personalised care, including needs assessment, a care plan and health and wellbeing information and support. This will be delivered in line with the NHS Comprehensive Model for Personalised Care. This will empower people to manage their care and the impact of their cancer, and maximise the potential of digital and community-based support. Over the next three years every patient with cancer will get a full assessment of their needs, an individual care plan and information and support for their wider health and wellbeing. All patients, including those with secondary cancers, will have access to the right expertise and support, including a Clinical Nurse Specialist or other support worker.

Department for International Development

Developing Countries: Plastics

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support the recycling of plastic throughout the developing world.

Harriett Baldwin: The Department for International Development is committed to helping developing countries tackle the problem of plastic pollution. We are doing this with a programme of technical assistance in twenty developing countries. We are starting to work with businesses and NGOs to trial new approaches to increase plastic recycling rates manage waste, thereby helping the environment while creating new jobs. We are also investing in finding ways in which manufacturing processes can reduce plastic pollution. For example, we are match funding Tearfund’s plastic appeal to set up recycling hubs in Pakistan. In addition, the UK provides considerable funding to multilateral organisations who are working with countries to tackle this problem, including some major investments in better waste management services.

Developing Countries: English Language

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to increase the level of English language training in under-developed countries.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK has significant investments in English language, especially through the British Council and the BBC World Service. In DFID we support a range of programmes including: improving the quality of English language teaching in Rwanda, a skills hub supporting the biggest African economies (including Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria) to scale up English language learning and providing opportunities for UK teachers to volunteer in schools overseas. The Foreign Secretary launched English Connects for francophone countries in West Africa on his recent visit.

Pakistan: Tobacco

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what funding her Department has allocated to programmes in Pakistan to promote control of the tobacco industry.

Harriett Baldwin: The DFID Pakistan programme has not allocated specific funding to promote the control of the tobacco industry in Pakistan.

Humanitarian Aid

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to ensure that humanitarian aid is always delivered based on need and not used as a tool for other political interests.

Harriett Baldwin: As set out in the UK’s Humanitarian Reform Policy, DFID ensures humanitarian assistance is underpinned by humanitarian principles, including neutrality and impartiality, and is targeted to meet the most acute needs of those affected by crises. To meet urgent needs DFID works with local, regional and international partners to rapidly provide funding, relief supplies, and expertise, saving lives and reducing the suffering of many across the globe.

Developing Countries: Climate Change

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that all Official Development Assistance spending is aligned with the Paris climate agreement objective of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees.

Harriett Baldwin: Tackling climate change is a priority for this Government and for the Department of International Development. In ratifying the Paris Agreement, the UK agreed to work towards making all financial flows consistent with lowering greenhouse gas emissions and supporting climate-resilient development.The UK has committed to provide at least £5.8bn of our aid over the period 2016-2021 to tackle climate change. We are supporting many programmes which contribute to this goal, including those for example which deliver clean energy. Since 2011, these resources have helped reduce or avoid 10.4 million tonnes of carbon emissions from entering the atmosphere and supported 17 million people to access clean energy.

Mozambique: Storms

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the outcome was of her meeting at the World Bank to attract donors to make long-term reconstruction investments in Mozambique following Cyclone Idai and Cyclone Kenneth.

Harriett Baldwin: The meeting was successful in raising international awareness, coordinating support and increasing funding for the Cylone Response including reconstruction. Following the meeting a number of donors substantially increased their support. The World Bank have set out plans for a regional operation, covering Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi. This will focus on “building back better” and climate resilient infrastructure. The UK also welcomes the news that Mozambique plans to host a reconstruction conference in the coming months. On 3 May, the World Bank announced that it had mobilised over half a billion dollars in new resources to help people in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe.

Developing Countries: Vaccination

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of her Department's spending on improving global vaccination rates in each year for which data is available.

Harriett Baldwin: Vaccination represents one of the most cost-effective health interventions. The UK is a global leader in ensuring children across the world benefit from the life-saving power of one of humankind’s greatest achievements. For every US$1 spent on immunisation in the world’s lowest-income countries, there is an estimated saving of US$16; from reduced health care costs for the individual and from the resulting increase in that individual’s contribution to the economy and to society. Diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP) vaccination rates are a key indicator of immunisation performance. Through UK support to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, DPT vaccination rates in the world’s poorest countries have now increased from 66% in 2000 to 80% in 2017. These efforts have helped vaccinate over 700 million children, saving over 10 million lives against vaccine-preventable diseases. The UK will not rest on its laurels. The UK will host the Gavi replenishment conference in 2020 where we will lead efforts to drive even greater vaccination coverage; including for children in the most fragile, hardest to reach countries.

Department for International Development: Secondment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many civil servants in his Department have been seconded to (a) the Department for Exiting the European Union and (b) the Department for International Trade in each of the last three years.

Harriett Baldwin: The below table details the number of DFID staff who have been seconded to the Department for Exiting the European Union and the Department for International Trade in each of the last three financial years. OGD2016/172017/182018/19DEXEU3128DIT4526Total7654

Department for Education

Universities: Finance

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made an assessment of the potential effect of a reduction in per student funding for universities on their ability to collaborate and partner with local employers; and if he will make a statement.

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will ensure that universities continue to be sustainably funded to enable them to expand the partnerships they have with local business and employers as set out in the recent HE business and community interaction survey by the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

Chris Skidmore: Business-university collaboration is increasingly important, both in the development of work-ready, highly skilled graduates, and in contributing to local and regional economic growth. My right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister announced a major review of post-18 education and funding that will ensure we have a joined up education system that is accessible to all and encourages the development of the funding and skills we need as a country. The independent panel will report shortly. The government will consider their recommendations, but we remain committed to ensuring that universities are funded on a sustainable basis. The government is committed to ensuring that funding is available to support sustainable collaboration between universities and businesses in local areas and is supporting this work in a number of ways: The Office for Students (OfS), through its Industrial Strategy and Skills Challenge Competition is funding providers (including in collaboration with employers) to develop and implement projects to improve outcomes for graduates who seek employment in their home region. Details of which can be found at: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/publications/ofs-challenge-competition-industrial-strategy-and-skills-support-for-local-students-and-graduates/. Similarly, the UK Research and Innovation 'Strength in Places Fund' is a competitive fund for collaborative bids between research institutions and businesses to support significant regional growth through research and innovation. Details can be found at: https://www.ukri.org/funding/funding-opportunities/strength-in-places-fund/. The OfS is providing £20 million for the Institute of Coding which will target a skills gap in digital skills and involves collaboration between education providers and industry. This includes working together to create core content and introducing flexible ways to learn. The government also part funds the National Centre for Universities and Business which promotes, develops and supports university and business collaboration across the UK.

Disabled Students' Allowances

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effect of the Disabled Students' Allowance assistive technology procurement proposal on students with (a) low incidence disabilities and (b) vision impairment.

Chris Skidmore: The new arrangements being introduced by the Student Loans Company (SLC) to procure assistive technology equipment and training for students in receipt of Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSA) will not affect the level or range of support available to any student.The SLC has engaged with groups within the sector to ensure that the procurement process will ensure that the needs of all students in receipt of DSA can continue to be met, and over 40 different organisations, including those representing students with vision impairment, have provided responses to the SLC, which are currently being considered.

Disabled Students' Allowances

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish the list of approved equipment for Disabled Students' Allowance.

Chris Skidmore: Section 6 of the Student Loans Company’s (SLC) Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSA) guidance contains advice on the types of equipment that are available to recipients of these allowances. This is available at: https://www.practitioners.slc.co.uk/media/1646/1819-guidance-dsa-new-students-from-ay-201617.pdf. The SLC maintains a list of assistive technology software products that have attracted DSA funding, which is available at: https://www.practitioners.slc.co.uk/media/1457/product-list.pdf.

Children: Social Services

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the financial sustainability of children's services in Northamptonshire.

Nadhim Zahawi: As was announced to the House on 10 May 2018, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, has appointed Commissioners to Northamptonshire County Council. One of their responsibilities is to oversee financial strategy at the Council. Thanks to their work and that of the new senior team, the Council finished 2018-19 in credit and has set a balanced budget for 2019-20.We have also appointed a Children’s Commissioner to work with Northamptonshire on improving children’s services. The Commissioner’s first report will be published shortly.More generally, funding for children’s services is made available through the Local Government Finance Settlement. We are in the final year of a multi-year settlement deal and have made £46.4 billion available this year for local services including those for children’s services.The government has made an additional £410 million available to local authorities this year, for adult and children's social care.The government will continue to work closely with the sector to consider long-term children’s services funding as part of the Spending Review.

Special Educational Needs

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps his Department has taken to improve the outcomes of children with special educational needs and disability.

Nadhim Zahawi: The department is taking steps to ensure every child and young person with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) can achieve highly in education, find employment and lead happy and fulfilled lives.We have established a SEND System Leadership Board that will focus on improving how local health, education and social care partners can plan better, commission strategically and work jointly to provide services and improve outcomes for children and young people with SEND.Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission continue to inspect local areas to identify strengths and weaknesses in relation to children and young people with SEND. Where there are concerns, the local area is required to produce a Written Statement of Action. The area will be revisited within 18 months to ensure improvements have been made.To support local authorities, we have provided an additional £250 million in high needs funding up to 2020 on top of the funding increases we had already committed. This brings the total allocation for high needs in 2019-20 to £6.3 billion and will help local authorities to manage the significant pressures on their high needs budgets.

Pupils: Per Capita Costs

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the level of per pupil funding for each child in (a) primary and (b) secondary education in Warrington in each year since 2010.

Nick Gibb: Holding answer received on 07 May 2019



The revenue funding allocated for schools for each financial year from 2009 to 2019 for Warrington local authority are shown in the attached table. For financial year 2019/20, only the dedicated schools grant (DSG) has been allocated at this time, though this makes up the bulk of schools funding. The DSG for Warrington this year is £166.7 million. Other grants will be allocated at later points in the year.



249221_Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 58 KB)

Children's Play

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has made an assessment of the (a) quality, (b) number and (c) adequacy of the content of local authority play strategies throughout England.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Statutory Framework sets the regulatory standards for ‘learning and development’ and ‘safeguarding and welfare’ requirements for all early years providers caring for children from birth to 5. The framework defines 7 areas of learning and development and is clear that each area must be implemented through planned, purposeful play and through a mix of adult-led and child-initiated activity.The department is not currently reviewing local authority play strategies in England. The EYFS does not promote a particular pedagogical approach - instead, it is for individual early years settings to determine how the areas of learning should be implemented to support children to meet the expected level of development by the end of the reception year.

Children: Social Services

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 23 April 2019 to Question 243378 on Children: Social Services, what analysis has been (a) carried out and (b) commissioned by his Department to estimate the funding needed by local authorities to meet demand for children’s social care services in each year of the period covered by the forthcoming Spending Review.

Nadhim Zahawi: My department is working with the sector, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and with HM Treasury, as part of our preparation for the next Spending Review, to understand the level of funding local government needs to meet demand and deliver statutory duties.My department is also working closely with MHCLG on the Review of Relative Needs and Resources to develop a robust, up-to-date approach to funding distribution for children's services at local government finance settlements.

Erasmus+ Programme

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether it remains the Government’s policy to guarantee (a) Erasmus+ bids approved in May 2019 and (b) cover students’ study costs for the academic year 2020-21 following the extension to the Article 50 process to October 2019.

Chris Skidmore: The government guarantee still stands. It will cover the payment of awards to UK applicants for all successful Erasmus+ bids submitted before the end of 2020 and it commits to underwrite funding for the entire lifetime of the projects. Successful bids are ones that are approved directly by the Commission or by the UK National Agency and ratified by the Commission.In the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal, the government will engage with the European Commission with the aim of securing the UK’s participation in Erasmus+ until the end of 2020.If discussions with the European Commission to secure the continued ability of UK institutions to participate in the programme are unsuccessful, the government will engage with individual member states and key institutions to seek to ensure that UK participants can continue with their planned activity as far as possible on a bilateral basis.In terms of participation beyond 2020, the UK government has repeatedly made clear that it values international exchange and collaboration in education and training as part of its vision for a global Britain.We are open to exploring participation in the successor scheme to the current Erasmus+ Programme and we will continue to be involved in discussions about that programme while we remain in the EU. Ultimately, our participation in that successor programme is a matter for negotiations to come about our future relationship with the EU.The government will need to fully consider the balance between supporting international mobility and ensuring value for money for the tax payer.

Erasmus+ Programme

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussion (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have had with education sector stakeholders on a potential domestic alternative to the Erasmus+ Programme.

Chris Skidmore: We have made clear that we value international exchange and collaboration in education and training as part of our vision for a global Britain. The White Paper on the Future Relationship between the UK and the EU proposed that the UK and EU should continue to give young people and students the chance to benefit from each other’s world leading universities.Ministers and I meet with representatives of the education sector regularly to discuss the Department for Education agenda, and that has included the questions of the Erasmus+ programme and international mobility more widely.Ultimately, participation in the future Erasmus+ programme (2021-2027) is a matter for negotiations to come about our future relationship with the EU and, as is the duty of a responsible government, we are preparing for a range of potential outcomes. This includes consideration of domestic alternative options for supporting international mobility outside Erasmus+. My officials have had observer status on work done by UK and members of the sector on what form a domestic alternative to Erasmus+ could take. We are listening to stakeholder views on this issue. Our stakeholder engagement will be ongoing.

Higher Education

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether postgraduate (a) loans and (b) other financial assistance will be included in his Department's response to the review of post-18 education.

Chris Skidmore: The government’s review of post-18 education and funding is looking at how we can ensure there is choice and competition across a joined-up post-18 education and training sector. The review’s focus includes how we can encourage learning that is more flexible (for example, part-time, distance learning and commuter study options) and complements ongoing government work to support people at different times in their lives. The independent panel will report shortly, and the government will then conclude the overall review later this year. We will not speculate about potential recommendations, as we do not wish to pre-judge the outcome of the review.

Higher Education

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions his Department has had with the higher education sector on potential future (a) immigration policies and (b) student exchange programmes.

Chris Skidmore: Department officials engage regularly with stakeholders across the higher education sector, including Universities UK (UUK), the Russell Group, Universities Alliance, MillionPlus, Guild HE, Independent HE and others, on a wide range of issues including the future immigration system and student exchange programmes.We have made clear that we value international exchange and collaboration in education and training as part of our vision for a global Britain, and are listening to stakeholder views on this issue. My officials have had observer status on work done by UUK and members of the sector on what form a domestic alternative to Erasmus+ could take. The Home Office has initiated an extensive programme of engagement across the UK on the Immigration White Paper proposals. The Home Office’s Education Advisory Group will meet regularly throughout the engagement period to capture views from the education sector and ensure the government designs a future immigration system that works for the whole of the UK.

Teachers: Pay

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to fund the two per cent pay increase for teachers in 2019-20; and what assessment he has made of the effect of that pay increase on school budgets.

Nick Gibb: The School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) is responsible for reviewing and making recommendations on teacher pay. The STRB is currently considering the appropriate pay award for the 2019-20 academic year and is expected to make its recommendations at the end of May 2019.In January 2019, the Department submitted written evidence to the STRB. In this it was noted that a 2% increase in teachers’ pay, in line with forecast inflation, is affordable nationally within the overall funding available to schools for the 2019/20 financial year.Alongside this evidence the Department published an assessment of teacher pay affordability in a schools’ costs technical note. This note provides information on costs for schools in the financial years 2018/19 and 2019/20, and can be found here on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-costs-technical-note.It is important to note that the effects of the 2018 pay award will continue to be supported through the £321 million Teachers’ Pay Grant in 2019/20.

Children: Protection

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, (a) which and (b) how many safeguarding boards are currently without a permanent chairperson.

Nadhim Zahawi: The information requested is not held centrally. Following commencement of provisions in the Children and Social Work Act 2017, Local Safeguarding Children Boards are currently being phased out and replaced by safeguarding partners (police, health and local authority). There is no requirement to have an independent chair of the new arrangements, which must be in place by September 2019.

Ministry of Justice

Prisons: Discipline

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many days prisoners were locked in cells for 22 hours or more in each prison in each month of (a) 2016, (b) 2017, (c) 2018, and (d) 2019.

Lucy Frazer: The information requested is not held. Prison officer numbers are at their highest since March 2012, which is vital to ensuring prisons are safe, secure and decent. We have recruited over 4,700 new prison officers across the country since October 2016 to improve safety and help turn offenders’ lives around. The recruitment drive will continue until we reach required levels across the prison estate, ensuring prisons can fulfil their purpose - protecting the public, reducing reoffending and crucially, rehabilitating offenders. As part of the Offender Management in Custody model (OMiC), Key Worker roles are being introduced to support the rehabilitative culture and relationship between Prison Officers and prisoners.

Prisons: Education

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the availability of courses for prisoners serving Imprisonment for Public Protection sentences to prepare to demonstrate their suitability for release to the Parole Board.

Edward Argar: Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) and the Parole Board work closely to improve the progression of prisoners serving sentences of Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP). Consequently, there is a joint action plan in place, co-owned by HMPPS and the Parole Board, with the specific aim of providing opportunities for prisoners serving IPP sentences to progress to safe release. We are prioritising post-tariff prisoners in accessing rehabilitative interventions, including psychology service-led reviews in cases where there has not been satisfactory progression, and enhanced case management for those prisoners sentenced with a complex set of risks and needs. We have also developed progression regimes at four prisons across the country, which are dedicated to progressing indeterminate prisoners struggling to achieve release via the usual routes. It is important to note that accredited programmes are offered to prisoners based on risk, need and responsivity for a particular programme. For IPP prisoners, suitability for any accredited programmes will be considered as part of their wider sentence plan. A wide range of accredited programmes are available and IPP prisoners are one of the groups prioritised for participation on accredited programmes where they are identified as suitable. However, the completion of accredited programmes is not a mandatory requirement for IPP prisoners to secure release. While HMPPS is focused on giving all prisoners serving IPP sentences opportunities to progress towards release, public protection must remain our priority.

Segregation of Prisoners

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners serving Imprisonment for Public Protection sentences are currently held in segregation units.

Lucy Frazer: The information requested is not held centrally and could not be collated without incurring disproportionate cost. The welfare of those in our care is our priority: prison governors have authority to arrange that a prisoner is to be segregated where it appears desirable for the maintenance of good order or discipline or it is in his or her own interest. Segregation is used only as a last resort, however.Her Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service and the Parole Board have a joint action plan to provide opportunities for prisoners serving sentences of Imprisonment for Public Protection to progress to safe release.

Drugs: Crime

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were convicted for selling drugs in the last two years.

Edward Argar: Available data show the number of offenders found guilty of supplying drugs in England and Wales. This can be found in the Experimental statistics: Principal offence proceedings and outcomes by Home Office offence data tool in the annual criminal justice statistics publication, linked below. From the Offence drop down box, select 92A.09, 92A.10, 92A.11 and 92A.12, then drag the Detailed offence filter into the row box for the pivot table. The table will display figures for possession, production and supply of drugs including intent to supply drugs offences separately.https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/738814/HO-Code-Tool-2017.xlsx Court proceedings and convictions data for 2018 are planned for publication on 16 May 2019

Criminal Injuries Compensation

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his Department has spent each year since 2010-11 on ensuring that Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme claimaints have been able to obtain the evidence required for their claim.

Edward Argar: The Ministry of Justice has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Prisons: Education

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 5 March 2019 to Question 225506 on Prisons: Education, what proportion of the prison population was engaged in offender learning and skills in prisons in each of the last five years.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 5 March 2019 to Question 225506 on Prisons: Education, how many offenders were engaged in learning that falls outside of core prison education provision in each of the last five years.

Edward Argar: The Department for Education publishes data on prison education participation and completion rates. Details for the academic years 2010-11 to 2017-18 can be found at the following link:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/761349/201718_Nov_MAIN_OLASS_Particpation_FINALv1.xlsxThis data is published using total numbers, not by proportion of the population which would be disproportionate costs for us to calculate. We do not hold data centrally for unaccredited learning.

Prison Sentences: Females

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many women were sent to immediate custody from the (a) Crown Court and (b) Magistrates' Courts for sentences of (i) less than and (ii) more than six months for each offence classification in each police force area in England and Wales in 2018-19.

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many women with no previous convictions were sent to immediate custody from the (a) the Crown Court and (b) Magistrates' Courts for sentences of (i) below 6 months and (ii) 6 months and above in each police force area in England and Wales in 2018-19; and what the offence classification was in each of those cases.

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many women in the North Wales police force area received an immediate custodial sentence of (a) less than and (b) more than six months for each category of offence from the (i) Crown Courts and (ii) Magistrates Courts in 2018-19.

Edward Argar: The number of female offenders sentenced to custody by court level and police force area, including North Wales, in 2017, can be found in the Court outcomes by Police Force Area data tool, which can be found at the below link:- https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2017 Select the drop down boxes referring to custodial sentence length in order to establish sentence lengths. Select female from the sex drop box and, once having done this, young adults and adults to establish women. Offence classification can be found in both the Offence Type and Offence group boxes, depending on which specific definition applies here. The number of female offenders with no previous convictions sentenced to immediate custody by court type, sentence length, and offence type in England and Wales in 2017 can be found in the attached table. Court proceedings data for 2018 are planned for publication on 16 May 2019, with data for 2019 planned for publication in May 2020. Our vision, as set out in our Female Offender Strategy, is to see fewer women coming into the criminal justice system and a greater proportion managed successfully in the community. There is persuasive evidence showing community sentences, in certain circumstances, are more effective than short custodial sentences in reducing reoffending. The MoJ study ‘The impact of short custodial sentences, community orders and suspended sentence orders on re-offending’ published in 2015 involved around 350,000 sentencing occasions over 4 years and used 130 different variables to construct matched groups of offenders and examine the effect of short sentences relative to community sentences. This study found a reduction of around 3 percentage points in proven reoffences if offenders receiving sentences of less than 12 months were to get a community order instead. This is statistically significant and equates to around 30,000 proven reoffences in total over a one-year period. This means fewer victims of crime. Unless we tackle the underlying causes of offending, we cannot protect the public from being victims of crime. Effective community orders can address offenders’ behaviour, answer their mental health and alcohol or drug misuse needs, and provide reparation for the benefit of the wider community. 



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 13.88 KB)

Ministry of Justice: Telephone Services

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 29 March 2019 to Question 235313 on Courts: Telephone Services, if he will publish a list of (a) every helpline operated by his Department and (b) the prefix of each such helpline.

Edward Argar: The Ministry of Justice has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Offenders: EU Nationals

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many non-UK EU nationals received a (a) caution, (b) community order and (c) another court disposal in each of the last five years.

Edward Argar: Information on the nationality of the offenders sentenced is not held centrally by MoJ and would only be obtainable at disproportionate cost. Therefore, it not possible to provide this information.

Rape: British Nationals Abroad

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to enable allegations of rape committed abroad by UK citizens to be investigated and prosecuted in the UK.

Lucy Frazer: Existing law already provides for a UK national or a UK resident accused of raping a person under the age of 18 abroad to be brought to trial in the UK. The draft Domestic Abuse Bill includes provision to extend the jurisdiction of our courts to offences of rape committed abroad against a victim aged 18 or over as required by the Istanbul Convention.

Parole

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps are being taken to ensure that the probation reports required for the parole hearing of Liam Vare A9035AH scheduled for 10 May 2019 are available in time for that hearing.

Edward Argar: The independent Parole Board had listed an oral hearing for the purposes of Mr Vare’s case on 10 May. However, on learning that a new offender manager had been appointed for Mr Vare, the Parole Board decided on 27 April to defer the oral hearing to allow the offender manager time to meet Mr Vare and to produce a report on him. The hearing has now been listed for the first available date after 24 June. The Board has directed that all outstanding reports be provided by 3 June. The Public Protection Casework Section, which oversees the delivery of the Secretary of State’s obligations in relation to the parole process, is liaising with the offender manager and others to ensure that the reports are indeed provided by 3 June.

Stalking

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been cautioned for stalking in each of the last five years.

Edward Argar: The number of people cautioned for stalking in each of the last five years can be found in the Outcomes by Offence data tool available here:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/733981/outcomes-by-offence-tool-2017-update.xlsx Select 8.Q Stalking from the Offence drop down list Court proceedings and convictions data for 2018 are planned for publication on 16 May 2019

Coroners

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many notices were issued by coroners in England and Wales under Schedule 5 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 requiring the production of documents in each of the last three years for which information is available.

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will direct the Coroner for Dorset conducting the investigation into the death of the late Gordon Munday who died on 11 October 2017 to issue a notice under Schedule 5 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 to require Dr Borek to produce the documents in her possession relevant to that investigation; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Argar: Coroners are independent judicial office holders. As such it would not be appropriate for Ministers to comment on or seek to influence the conduct of their investigations. The Ministry of Justice does not hold information on the number of notices issued by coroners under schedule 5 to the Coroners and Justice Act 2009.

Children: Protection

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to extend the position of trust law to sports coaches and youth justice workers with positions of influence over children.

Lucy Frazer: Any sexual activity with a child under 16 is a criminal offence, regardless of whether consent is given. Any non-consensual sexual activity is also a crime, whatever the age of the victim and whatever the relationship between the victim and perpetrator. I recognise that there are concerns about those who might abuse their position of power over a 16 or 17-year-old to pressure them into engaging in a sexual relationship. Such behaviour is very likely to be caught by the robust laws we already have in place, However, we remain absolutely committed to protecting children and young people from sexual abuse and we want to ensure that existing offences are being used effectively to tackle this behaviour, and that those working with young people understand their responsibilities and act appropriately. My department, working closely with colleagues across government, is taking forward a review of the existing law, to check that that it is working effectively and ensuring young people are protected.

Treasury

Cash Dispensing: Fees and Charges

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure that reductions in the interchange rate do not result in free ATMs becoming pay ATMs.

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the effect on poorer households of recent increases in the number of free ATMs becoming pay ATMs; and if he will make a statement.

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Payment Services Regulator on the effect of changes to LINK rates; and whether he plans to re-impose interchange rates at LINK cost study levels.

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the proportion of household income spent as cash in the last 12 months; and what projection his Department has made of changes in the level of income and spending with cash in the next 10 years.

John Glen: Last year, Government launched a Call for Evidence on Cash and Digital Payments in the New Economy. One part of the wide range of evidence collected detailed the changing levels of cash usage. Responses showed that, although the proportion of cash transactions is expected to fall over the next 10 years, cash remains important in the lives of many people and businesses across the UK. That’s why the Government is committed to supporting digital payments, whilst safeguarding access to cash for those who need it. The Government is engaging, and will continue to engage, with the regulators and industry on this important topic. The Government has not made an assessment of the effect on poor households of free-to-use ATMs becoming pay-to-use. However, the Government-established Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) is closely monitoring developments in ATM provision, including those that are free-to-use. The PSR regulates LINK, the scheme which runs the UK’s ATM network, and has used its powers to hold LINK to account over LINK’s commitments to preserve the broad geographic spread of the ATM network. The PSR has set out requirements of LINK, including that any cuts to interchange fees (the fees which fund free-to-use ATMs) must be incremental, with action taken by LINK where the impact is not as expected. Having implemented two of the four planned incremental reductions to the interchange fee, LINK has cancelled the third reduction and put on hold the fourth. The PSR welcomed these adjustments, having stated that LINK must carefully review its decisions on interchange fees to reflect changing market conditions. These adjustments gave the PSR further assurances that LINK is committed to making sure communities do not lose their free-to-use ATMs. LINK has put in place specific arrangements to protect free-to-use ATMs more than 1 kilometre away from the next nearest free-to-use ATM. LINK has also enhanced its Financial Inclusion Programme by tripling the funding available to ATMs in the most deprived areas of the UK and undertaken new financial support for ATMs in remote and deprived areas.

Welfare Tax Credits: Overpayments

Ruth George: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of people claiming tax credits who have an overpayment in the latest period for which figures are available.

Elizabeth Truss: I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave her on 11 January 2019, UIN: 206456. Updated estimates will be published in Summer 2019.

Welfare Tax Credits: Overpayments

Ruth George: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of the £6.9 billion of tax credit debt has been held by HMRC (a) for more than seven years, (b) between two and seven years and (c) less than two years.

Elizabeth Truss: The £6.9 billion of tax credit debt in 2017/18 is net £0.3billion of debt that was transferred to DWP. A breakdown of the age of tax credits debt is only readily available on the gross debt estimate of £7.2 billion. This shows that (a) 16 per cent relates to the 2010-11 award year or older, (b) 52 per cent relates to award years between 2011/12 to 2015/16, and (c) 29 per cent relates to the 2016/17 award year or after.

General Anti-abuse Rule Advisory Panel

Peter Dowd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many cases have been referred to the GAAR Advisory Panel since 2015.

Mel Stride: Since 2015, 13 cases have been referred to the General Anti-Abuse Rule (GAAR) Advisory Panel. GAAR Advisory Panel opinions are published on GOV.UK.

Tax Avoidance

Peter Dowd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many penalties related to off-shore activities HMRC collected in the last 12 months.

Mel Stride: HMRC does not record data on penalties related to offshore activities in a single system, as cases can be complex and involve a combination of offshore and onshore elements. The information requested is not available.

Taxation: Self-assessment

Peter Dowd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many late filing penalties HMRC collected in 2018 from small and medium-sized businesses.

Mel Stride: HMRC does not record data on penalties paid by size of business so the information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Social Security Benefits

Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the amount of (a) tax credits and (b) child benefit to which claimants were entitled but did not claim in each year since 2010.

Elizabeth Truss: Estimates of the amounts of tax credit which have not been claimed by eligible households are published annually in “Child Benefit, Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit Take-up rates” on the gov.uk website. The latest publication relating to 2016-17 is here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/763597/Child_Benefit__Child_Tax_Credit_and_Working_Tax_Credit_take-up_rates_2016_to_2017.pdf The table below show estimates of the total amount of tax credit expenditure unclaimed since 2010-11. YearCentral estimate of expenditure unclaimed (£bn)2010-114.62011-124.12012-134.02013-143.72014-154.12015-165.12016-174.4 Variations in the amounts unclaimed are related to changes in the rates and thresholds in the tax credit system. The proportion of Child Tax Credit expenditure which is claimed has remained at 90 per cent or above since 2010-11, and the proportion of Working Tax Credit expenditure which is claimed has remained at between 83 and 86 per cent over the same period. The proportion of eligible children who have Child Benefit claimed on their behalf is included in the publication referenced above and remains high at 93 per cent in 2016-17. Information relating to the amounts of Child Benefit unclaimed can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

101 Calls: VAT

Tim Loughton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the contribution has been to the public purse from levying VAT on the 101 non-emergency police phone line.

Mel Stride: The details that HMRC collects from taxpayers on their VAT returns are not specific enough to provide an estimate of VAT on 101 phone calls. To minimise the administrative burden on businesses, they are only required to report the total VAT on all their taxable supplies of goods and services in the relevant period. It is therefore not possible to identify the types of supplies on which the VAT was charged.

Taxation: Multinational Companies

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of companies which claimed the group financing exemption to the controlled foreign company rules in each of the last three years.

Mel Stride: Data from corporate tax returns submitted to HMRC indicates that between 170 and 190 UK companies have claimed the group financing exemption to the controlled foreign company rules in each of the years 2015-2017.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Fracking: Planning

Carol Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to help ensure the (a) interests and (b) safety of local communities is fully considered in decisions on planning for shale gas fracking; and if he will make a statement.

Kit Malthouse: The Government is firmly committed to ensuring that local communities are fully involved in planning decisions that affect them. Planning applications for shale development proposals require consultation with local communities, ensuring that planning concerns about potential impacts raised by local people are taken into account in the determination of such applications.The Government takes the safety of the public and environmental protection very seriously and are confident we have a robust regulatory framework in place. We have been clear that shale gas exploration development must be safe and environmentally sound. The UK has world-class regulation to ensure that shale gas exploration can happen safely, respecting local communities and safeguarding the environment. National planning policy makes clear that in considering planning applications, mineral planning authorities should ensure that there are no unacceptable adverse impacts on the natural and historic environment or on human health.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 10 April 2019 to Question 239872, for what reason the Prime Minister’s announcement on 27 January 2016 on locating the Holocaust Memorial in Victoria Tower Gardens did not refer to the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation’s recommendation that the Memorial and the Learning Centre should be co-located.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: Co-location was recommended by the Prime Minister’s Commission in January 2015 and reflected in the Foundation’s document on the search for a site published in September 2015. The Government press release on 27 January 2016, following the PM announcement, also noted that plans for the learning centre would be announced in the coming months.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 10 April 2019 to Question 239870, on what dates the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation first spoke to representatives of the (a) Royal Parks, (b) Department of Culture, Media and Sport and (c) Westminster City Council about the possibility of the Holocaust Memorial being located in Victoria Tower Gardens; and whether in each case the conversation also covered the proposed Learning Centre.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The Foundation engaged with representatives of The Royal Parks, Department of Culture, Media and Sport and Westminster City Council in the early stages of this project and continue to engage with them on a regular basis.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answers of 7 March 2019 to Question 229626 and 10 April 2019 to Question 239872, on what date in January 2016 the Government received from the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation its recommendation that the Holocaust Memorial and the Holocaust Learning Centre should be located in Victoria Tower Gardens.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: 13 January 2016.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 10 April 2019 to Question 239868 on the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre, for what reason the answer did not indicate whether the criteria for the site were altered.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The objective throughout has been to build a striking new national memorial co-located with a world class learning centre.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 10 April 2019 to Question 239869 on the location of the National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Centre, for what reason that Answer did not indicate which of the criteria were met.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The answer of 10 April to Question UIN 239869 referred to an earlier answer to Question UIN 203298, answered on 21 December, which provided a clear explanation of the reasons for selecting Victoria Tower Gardens.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether it is the Government’s policy that all the existing entrances to Victoria Tower Gardens will continue to be available to the public during the same hours as they are currently after the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre have been built.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: Yes.

Solar Power: Non-domestic Rates

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the business rates exemption for <50kW solar systems will be maintained under the smart export guarantee scheme.

Rishi Sunak: The Government is continuing business rates relief for solar microgeneration plant and machinery of less than 50kW. These arrangements would also apply under the Smart Export Guarantee as proposed. The current relief provides a 100 per cent business rates exemption for qualifying solar plant and machinery between the installation of the equipment and the next revaluation for business rates planned in 2021.

Leasehold: Unfair Practices

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps is he taking to tackle unfair practises in the leasehold system.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: This Government is committed to tackling unfair practices in the leasehold market. We have committed to banning new leasehold houses and restricting ground rents to a peppercorn and launched a technical consultation on the details of these proposals which closed on 26 November. We will publish the Government response in due course and bring forward primary legislation as soon as Parliamentary time allows.We are also working with the Law Commission to make it faster, fairer and cheaper for existing leaseholders to extend their lease or buy the freehold. The Law Commission have also consulted on making Right to Manage legislation so that leaseholders can more easily take control of running their buildings. The Government will consider next steps when the Law Commission reports later this yearIn addition, we have also set up a Working Group, chaired by Lord Best, to look at how property agents can be improved, including a single, mandatory Code of Practice for managing agents and whether any fees should be capped or banned. We expect to receive the Working Group's recommendations this summer and we will respond with our plans later this year.We recently announced a new government-backed industry pledge to make sure that leaseholders whose leases contain onerous terms such as doubling ground rents within 20 years, get the support they need. The new pledge announced on 28 March has been signed by more than forty leading property developers and freeholders.

Private Rented Housing: Evictions

Sir David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what deterrents are in place to stop rogue landlords illegally evicting a tenant.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: Tenants are protected from illegal eviction through the Protection from Eviction Act 1977, the Housing Act 1988, and the retaliatory eviction provisions in the Deregulation Act 2015. Under the Eviction Act 1977, local authorities have the power to prosecute landlords in the criminal courts who break the law.We want to go further, and we recently announced that we will abolish ‘no-fault’ evictions by repealing section 21 of the Housing Act 1988. By ending ‘no fault’ evictions, landlords will always have to provide a reason for ending a tenancy. This more secure tenancy framework will give tenants greater confidence that they can complain about problems with their home without the fear of eviction.

High Rise Flats: Insulation

Sarah Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to his Answer of 25 March 2019 to Question 234774 on High Rise Flats: Insulation, if he will provide a regional breakdown for the 16,600 dwellings in private blocks with Aluminium Composite Material cladding systems unlikely to meet Building Regulations which are yet to be remediated.

Kit Malthouse: For the latest data, as at 31 March 2019 there are approximately 16,500 dwellings in private sector high-rise residential blocks with Aluminium Composite Material cladding systems unlikely to meet Building Regulations yet to be remediated. The regional breakdown is in the table below:RegionNo of dwellingsLondon10,600Yorkshire and The Humber2,000North West2,000South East900South West400East of England300East Midlands200Grand Total16,400* rounded to nearest 100

Temporary Accommodation: Children

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many children there were in temporary accommodation in another local authority district, for each local authority in the last three years.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: This information is currently collected. As these are experimental statistics, the information provided is not of sufficient quality to be published but will be available in future.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces: Scotland

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 4 April 2019 to Question 238377, whether he plans to make mitigation payments to lower-paid MoD personnel based in England in relation to the Scottish rate of income tax.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Our approach to mitigation payments was in direct response to concerns expressed by Service personnel adversely affected as Scottish taxpayers. Similar concerns were not raised by others living outside Scotland. Accordingly, there are no plans to provide any form of financial mitigation for those Service personnel outside Scotland who found themselves, for example in Tax Year 2018-19, paying slightly more tax (up to £20 a year) than their equivalents who are resident in Scotland and, therefore, Scottish taxpayers.

Electronic Warfare

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to increase the effectiveness of the UK’s offensive cyber capabilities.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence works in partnership with the Government Communications Headquarters to deliver the National Offensive Cyber Programme, harnessing the expertise of both organisations to establish a world-class offensive cyber capability delivered through a "Joint Mission" construct.

Armed Forces: Wales

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of (a) Royal Navy, (b) Royal Air Force and (c) army personnel resided in Wales before assuming active service in the last five years.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The requested information is provided in the following table:  Proportion of Welsh Intake to the Untrained Regular Armed Forces, by Financial Year and Service Financial Year2013-142014-152015-162016-172017-18Royal Navy/Royal Marines3.9%4.6%4.9%4.8%4.9%Army4.1%5.9%5.6%5.4%5.9%Royal Air Force5.5%5.6%5.4%4.0%4.9% Notes:1) UK Regulars are Full-time Service personnel, including Nursing Services, but excluding Full Time Reserve Personnel, Gurkhas, mobilised Reservists, Military Provost Guard Service, Locally Employed Personnel and Non Regular Permanent Staff.2) Figures include both Officers and Other Ranks.3) Figures may include personnel who have joined more than once during the time period.4) For Army, figures have been provided based on postcode at the time of recruitment, with input provided by both Defence Statistics(Army) and Army Recruiting and Initial Training Command. It was not possible to match the location for around 8% of Army personnel, some of whom could have resided in Wales.5) Royal Navy/Royal Marines and Royal Air Force recruits have been interpreted as those who joined through Welsh Armed Forces Careers Offices.

France: Military Decorations

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 22 March 2019 to Question 234103 on France: Military Decorations, how many surviving British veterans who fought for the liberation of France during the second world war are waiting (a) to have their applications to receive the French Legion d'Honneur processed by his Department and (b) to receive the award of the Legion d'Honneur for which they have been certified as eligible by his Department.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Ministry of Defence currently has seven applications for the Legion d'Honneur. There are currently 71 cases for the award being processed by the French authorities.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of universal credit payments were subject to deductions above the maximum cap of 40 per cent in the last month for which data is available.

Alok Sharma: The Government recognises the importance of safeguarding the welfare of claimants who have incurred debt. Universal Credit already has procedures and regulations in place to protect claimants from excessive deductions. The maximum rate of deductions cannot normally exceed 40 per cent of the Universal Credit standard allowance, and from October 2019 this will be reduced to 30 per cent. However, last resort deductions can be applied to protect vulnerable claimants from eviction and/or having their fuel supply (gas/electricity) cut off, by providing a last resort repayment method for arrears of these essential services. In these circumstances, when it’s considered to be in the best interests of the claimant and their family, deductions may be taken above the 40 per cent limit. If a claimant is in financial difficulty as a result of the level of deductions being made they can contact the Department to request that a reduction in deductions be considered. Of eligible* claims to Universal Credit Full Service due a payment in December 2018:• 0.8% (10,000 claims) had a deduction above 40 per cent of their standard allowance. Notes1. *Eligible claimants are claimants that have satisfied all the requirements of claiming Universal Credit; they have provided the necessary evidence, signed their claimant commitment and are eligible and have received their first payment.2. Deductions include Universal Credit advance repayments, third party deductions and all other deductions, but exclude sanctions and fraud penalties which are reductions of benefit rather than deductions.3. Figures rounded to nearest 1,000.4. Claim numbers may not match official statistics caseloads due to small methodological differences.

Construction: Silicosis

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information her Department holds on trends in the number of people with Silicosis in the construction industry.

Justin Tomlinson: Silicosis, along with coal workers pneumoconiosis and asbestosis are the most common forms of pneumoconiosis which is a prescribed disease within the Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB) scheme. Pneumoconiosis cases not specifically identified as asbestosis or coal workers’ pneumoconiosis are mainly silicosis and the annual numbers of such cases newly assessed for IIDB over the last ten years are shown in the table below. Of these annual cases, those associated with the construction industry are also shown. The number of silicosis cases within the IIDB scheme is likely to be lower than the true incidence of this disease. This is because IIDB does not compensate anyone who is self-employed, and not all affected individuals apply to the scheme. Annual new cases of pneumoconiosis not recorded as asbestosis or coal workers’ pneumoconiosis assessed for IIDB, 2008-2017 -2008200920102011201220132014201520162017TotalAll cases85806050404555253030500Cases associated with construction2020151051020101010130Note: values have been rounded to the nearest 5 to meet disclosure rules.

State Retirement Pensions: British Nationals Abroad

Sir Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reasons not all UK pensioners living overseas receive annual pension uprating.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reasons the Government has not agreed to uprate the pensions of UK nationals resident outside the EU; and if will she make a statement.

Guy Opperman: Since WW2 successive Governments, Labour, the Coalition and Conservatives have had the same policy. The policy on up-rating the UK State Pension abroad is long-standing and unchanged. UK State Pensions are payable worldwide and they are up-rated for overseas residents where there is a legal requirement to do so. The cost of up-rating State Pensions would increase by more than £3 billion over five years if payments to recipients in countries where they are not currently up-rated were increased to the rates payable had the recipients never left the UK. It is not proposed to change this policy.

Universal Credit: Disability

Ruth George: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of people in receipt of severe disability premium (SDP) who claimed universal credit before 16 January 2019 and who will be repaid their entitlement to SDP when the Universal Credit (Managed Migration) Regulations 2018 come into force.

Justin Tomlinson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer to Question 215614, from 6 February 2019. Since the introduction of The Universal Credit (Transitional Provisions) (SDP Gateway) Amendment Regulations 2019, which came into force on 16th January 2019, claimants who are entitled, or have been within the last month, to an award of an existing benefit that includes SDP have not been required to move to Universal Credit; even if they have experienced a relevant change in their circumstances. The draft Universal Credit (Managed Migration Pilot and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2019, which are currently before Parliament, make provision for SDP transitional payments for those eligible claimants who have already moved to UC and for moving existing legacy claimants onto Universal Credit and implementing transitional protection.We are currently considering the court judgment handed down on 3 May 2019.

Food Poverty: Disability

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of disabled people in food poverty.

Justin Tomlinson: We will spend over £55 billion this year (2019/20) on benefits to support disabled people and people with health conditions. This is around 2.5% of GDP, and over 6% of government spending, and as a share of GDP, the UK’s public spending is second highest in the G7, bar Germany [OECD 2015 data]. This year spending on the main disability benefits (PIP, DLA and Attendance Allowance) will be over £6bn higher in real terms than it was in 2010. Alongside this, we want to build a better understanding of household food needs so that future support reaches those who need it most. The new questions that we are including on the Family Resources Survey starting from April 2019 will enable us to better understand the drivers of food insecurity and identify which groups are most at risk. We are committed to helping people with health conditions and disabilities move nearer to the labour market and, when ready, into work, by building more personalised tailored employment and health support, such as:The Work and Health programme, which was rolled out between November 2017 and March 2018, and will provide innovative support for around 275,000 people. The majority of people of starting on the programme (around 220,000) will be disabled people who can volunteer for the programme at any time. Access to Work, which is a demand-led, discretionary grant scheme that offers advice and in-work support above the level of statutory reasonable adjustments to disabled people who are in work or about to start work, up to an annual limit of £59,200 per person. We also are promoting the skills and talents of disabled people and those with long term health conditions to employers through the Disability Confident Scheme. The Scheme focuses on the crucial role that employers play in ensuring disabled people are recruited, retained and developed in their careers. Over 11,500 employers have already signed up to the campaign, and this number continues to grow.

Universal Credit: Wales

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment her Department has made of a potential link between the rollout of universal credit and use of foodbanks in (a) Wales and (b) Ogmore.

Will Quince: There are many reasons people use foodbanks and agreement that growth in the use of foodbanks cannot be attributed solely to Universal Credit.Under Universal Credit no claimant has to wait for their money: advances of up to 100 per cent of their award are available to all claimants from day one of their claim. Advances are paid back over a period of 12 months and in the Autumn Budget 2018, we announced that from October 2021, the payback period for these advances will be extended further, up to 16 months. This is just one of a number of measures the Department has put in place to support claimants, such as paying those claimants moving from Housing Benefit onto Universal Credit a two week ‘transitional housing payment’. We are also introducing a two-week run on for eligible claimants of Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance from July 2020.

Social Security Benefits

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that people who are digitally excluded are not missing out on benefits to which they are entitled.

Alok Sharma: Our Universal Credit Claimant Survey, found that 98 per cent of claimants have internet access and did claim online, and the majority of those said they found the claim process overall to be straightforward. This can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-full-service-claimant-surveyHowever, for those that are still unable to access or use digital services, assistance to make and maintain their claim is available via the Freephone Universal Credit helpline. Face-to-face support is also available in Jobcentres. In exceptional circumstances, a home visit can be arranged to support a claimant in making and maintaining their claim.From 1 April 2019 Citizens Advice (England and Wales) and Citizens Advice Scotland are delivering the new ‘Help to Claim’ support to claimants making a new Universal Credit (UC) claim or moving from a legacy benefit to UC because of a change of circumstances. The Citizens Advice Help to Claim offers tailored, practical support to help people make a UC claim up to receiving their first full correct payment on time. It is available online, through web-chat, through a Freephone number and face to face through local Citizens Advice services.

Social Security Benefits

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the amount of (a) jobseeker’s allowance, (b) universal credit, (c) personal independence payment and (d) disability living allowance to which claimants were entitled but did not claim in each year since 2010.

Alok Sharma: There are £2.4 billion of unclaimed legacy benefits not going to the people who need them, because they do not know that they are entitled to them or how to claim. Universal Credit makes sure that welfare payments reach those who need them most. The information requested is not held by the Department for Universal Credit, Personal Independence Payment and Disability Living Allowance. The Department holds information on the amount of Jobseeker’s Allowance that claimants were entitled to but did not claim for the years 2009-2016. More recent data is not held. Estimated amount of unclaimed JSA YearMillions of Pounds2009/101,3802012/131,8502013/141,5502014/151,5102015/161,380 NotesAmounts are shown in nominal terms (not adjusted for inflation)The figures in the brackets give the 95 per cent confidence intervals. This range around the central take-up estimate is calculated to show, with 95 per cent probability, the range within which the true value of take-up lies. This assumes that there is no non-sampling error such as incorrect reporting of amounts or under-coverage of the range of respondents.This information can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/income-related-benefits-estimates-of-take-up-financial-year-201516

Social Security Benefits

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to promote the use of benefits calculators to help ensure that people claim the benefits to which they are entitled.

Will Quince: The independent benefits calculators we endorse are intended to provide useful estimations of what people can get in certain circumstances, based on what information is entered on the calculators themselves. This is to allow people to safely explore what help they may receive from Universal Credit before they apply, or based on potential changes of circumstances. Information on accessing independent benefit calculators is readily available via the gov.uk website. This includes links to three independent calculators and advice on the type of information required to complete a calculation.https://www.gov.uk/benefits-calculators In addition, DWP staff will signpost post people to independent benefit calculators and websites which provide additional advice and guidance.

Social Security Benefits: Children

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she has taken to make prospective parents aware of the two child limit on entitlement to tax credits and the child element of universal credit.

Alok Sharma: Universal Credit claimants were alerted to the policy changes announced by the Government in the Summer Budget 2015 and by communication on GOV.UK in August 2016. HMRC, who currently have the majority of claims from those with more than two children, also provided information about this change in leaflets which went to all claimants renewing their Child Tax Credits claim in Summer 2016 and Summer 2017.

Universal Credit: Disability

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) seriously ill and (b) disabled people are no longer eligible for severe disability premium as a result of (i) natural and (ii) managed migration to universal credit since 16 January 2019.

Justin Tomlinson: Since the introduction of The Universal Credit (Transitional Provisions) (SDP Gateway) Amendment Regulations 2019, which came into force on 16th January 2019, claimants entitled to the SDP are not required to move to Universal Credit, even if they experience a change in circumstance.

Universal Credit

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 15 April 2019 to Question 243330 on Universal Credit, what assessment her Department makes of other repayment commitments that claimants may have alongside their obligation to repay a universal credit advance; and whether any such assessments affect the repayment period relating to such advances.

Alok Sharma: The purpose of Universal Credit new claim advances is to provide those in financial need with fast access to a payment to see them through until their first Universal Credit payment is due. Introducing an assessment of claimant’s other repayment commitments would delay this. Affordability is managed by ensuring the recovery rate will not be more than the equivalent of 40% of their benefit unit’s standard allowance. Help is available for those struggling to meet the recovery rate. In exceptional circumstances, recovery can be deferred for up to 3 months from the start of the recovery period. Advances are not loans; they are an interest free payment benefit advance, available to help people who need immediate financial support, which is then recovered over an agreed period. The Department has taken a number of steps to ensure that advances meet the needs of claimants and that the recovery arrangements are personalised and reasonable. From October 2021 we are increasing the recovery period for advances from 12 to 16 months, further supporting those in financial need.

Universal Credit

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information her Department holds on the number of universal credit claimants that have debts in addition to a universal credit advance.

Ruth George: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many of the universal credit claimants who have taken an advance payment on their first payment are in arrears.

Alok Sharma: The Government recognises the importance of safeguarding the welfare of claimants who have incurred debt. Universal Credit already has procedures and regulations in place to protect claimants from excessive deductions. The maximum rate of deductions cannot normally exceed 40% of the Universal Credit standard allowance, and from October 2019, this will be reduced to 30% of a claimant’s standard allowance of their UC award. If a claimant is in financial difficulty as a result of the level of deductions being made they can contact the Department to request that a reduction in deductions be considered. Universal Credit (UC) new claim advances provide access to a payment for those in financial need, which can be accessed on the same day, until their first UC payment is due. Claimants can access up to 100% of the total expected monthly award, for which they can pay back over a period of up to 12 months, and in the Autumn Budget 2018, we announced that from October 2021, the payback period for these advances will be extended further, up to 16 months. Currently there are around 850,000 claimants that have a UC advance repayment in place. Of these claimants, the table below shows 440,000 also have at least one other debt relating to benefit overpayments, social fund loans or previous advances (figures rounded to nearest ten thousand). The data held by the Department does not include other third party debts, for example arrears, utility bills or other borrowing. However, research conducted by Almo’s shows that while many people join UC with pre-existing arears, this fell by a third after 4 months on universal credit.  Debt Source/CombinationVolumePercentTax Credits only120,00027.31Social Fund only80,00018.29Other Combinations inc Social Fund62,00014.04Other Combinations40,0009.05UC Overpayment only22,0004.94Other Combinations inc UC20,0004.49Other Combinations inc Leg OP & SF18,0004.05Legacy Benefit overpayment only18,0004.04Other Combinations inc Legacy17,0003.89UC Recoverable Hardship Payment10,0002.39Legacy Benefit overpayment and Social Fund10,0002.22Housing Benefit only10,0002.20Tax Credits & Housing Benefit9,0002.05Housing Benefit & Social Fund5,0001.03Source: DWP internal statistics Notes: 1. Data has been sourced from DWP internal statistics.2. The figures within the data table for those with more than two types of benefit debt have been combined and reported according to whether they have both a legacy benefit (LegOP) and a social fund (SF) debt, either of these singularly or another UC related debt.

Universal Credit: Private Rented Housing

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 15 April 2019 to Question 243334 on Universal Credit: Private Rented Housing, whether she has plans to classify being in receipt of benefits as a protected characteristic in order to eliminate discrimination against benefit recipients in the rental housing market.

Will Quince: The Government has no current plans to classify receipt of benefits as a protected characteristic (under Equalities Legislation). Ministers are working with stakeholders from across the private rental sector to discuss how it can work with them to eliminate practices which prevent benefit recipients from renting property.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Pesticides: Regulation

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that future bans on the use of pesticides are based on scientific research; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government’s priority is to protect people and the environment, and pesticides are only authorised if scientific evidence shows that they will not harm human health or have unacceptable effects on the environment. We carry out a thorough assessment of the scientific evidence, drawing on advice from scientists in the Health and Safety Executive and the UK Expert Committee on Pesticides. Regulatory decisions are regularly reviewed so that safety can be reassessed using the latest data and scientific knowledge. Decisions on the use of pesticides will continue to be based on a careful scientific assessment of the risks and we will ensure that the regulation of pesticides continues to be robust and fit for purpose as our scientific knowledge develops.

Pesticides: Regulation

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to set up a new pesticides as a result of the resignation of key members from the Pesticides Forum and Voluntary Initiative.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Pesticides Forum was set up by Government to bring together a range of organisations with an interest in how pesticides are used and the impact of their use. It plays a helpful role in supporting the National Action Plan (NAP) for pesticides by identifying issues and possible solutions across a range of pesticides issues. The Voluntary Initiative is an industry-led group which has done useful work in developing and promoting best practice in the use of pesticides. We regret that the Wildlife and Countryside Link and the Pesticides Action Network UK have decided to withdraw from these groups, which benefit from having a range of views around the table. As set out in the 25 Year Environment Plan, the Government will develop its approach to pesticides, putting Integrated Pest Management at its heart. In doing so we will continue to reduce the impacts of pesticide use and maintain dialogue with all those that can help us to make further progress. As part of this process we will review the NAP and update it as necessary. This will involve public consultation and we hope that environmental and farming groups will engage actively with this.

Agriculture and Waste Disposal: Carbon Emissions

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to reduce emissions in agriculture and waste management.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Defra is committed to take action to mitigate climate change and to adapt to its impact. As the cornerstone of our future agriculture policy, the new Environmental Land Management (ELM) system will pay public money for the provision of environmental public goods, including mitigation and adaption to climate change. Our Clean Growth Strategy (CGS) and 25 Year Environment Plan also set out a range of specific commitments to reduce emissions from agriculture.This year we have started to develop a new emissions reduction plan for agriculture, which will set out our long-term vision for a more productive, low-carbon farming sector. This policy development will be informed by research, modelling, stakeholder engagement and feasibility studies. We are establishing a Lowland Agricultural Peat Taskforce to identify how to protect our peat carbon stores and prevent further emissions. In addition we are making progress towards our target to plant 11 million new trees in this parliament and continuing to phase down fluorinated gases.For waste, the majority of our emissions are in the form of methane generated by biodegradable waste breaking down anaerobically in landfill. We have made significant improvements in this area, with emissions from the waste sector falling by 70% since 1990. This is mostly due to the implementation of methane recovery systems at UK landfill sites, as well as policies such as the landfill tax reducing the amount of waste disposed of here. Further improvements will come from policies announced in the recent Resources and Waste Strategy, which are currently being consulted on. For example, we want to introduce a consistent set of materials to be collected across local authorities and municipal businesses, which would include food waste being collected separately. This is expected to divert a significant amount of biodegradable waste away from landfill and therefore lead to a reduction in the associated emissions.

Circuses: Wildlife

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many wild animals of each species are currently licensed for use in travelling circuses in England; and which of those wild animals are classified as dangerous.

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many travelling circuses are currently licensed to use wild animals in England; and how many licences for such use have been breached in each of the last five years.

David Rutley: There are currently 19 wild animals licensed by Defra for use by two travelling circuses in England. The 19 wild animals are 6 Reindeer; 4 Camels; 4 Zebras; 2 Racoons; 1 Fox; 1 Macaw; and 1 Zebu. Under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976; Camels, Zebra and Reindeer (domestic Reindeer excepted) are classified as dangerous animals. In each of the last five complete calendar years the following number of breaches (as defined as a significant breach of one of the 17 different licensing conditions or standards assessed at each inspection) were identified in the two licensed circuses: 2014 – 12015 – 22016 – 02017 – 02018 – 0 Each licensed circus is inspected at least three times a year, with at least one inspection being unannounced. Where any breaches were found, the circuses were required to undertake remedial actions to address the issues identified.

Birds: Pest Control

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect on (a) pest control, (b) agriculture and (c) animal welfare of Natural England’s withdrawal of three General Licences for pest control.

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of people that control pests under the terms of the General Licence.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Defra fully recognises the implications of the withdrawal of these licences for pest controllers, farmers and gamekeepers. For this reason, the Secretary of State has taken back decision making powers with respect to the three licences in question. Defra has initiated a call for evidence in order to better understand the impact of the withdrawal, which closes on Monday 13 May. Due to the nature of the general licences, Natural England does not hold records of the numbers of people who rely on them but it estimates up to 50,000 people may be affected.

Pigeons

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information his Department holds on the (a) value and (b) amount of the agricultural damage done by wood pigeons in England.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The current costs of woodpigeon damage to the individual grower sectors are not known. A 2014 estimate of woodpigeon damage to the overall UK oilseed rape crop was approximately £2 million for a ‘low impact’ year (2% of national crop severely damaged) and approximately £5 million for a ‘high impact’ year (5% of national crop severely damaged). This is based on an average loss of £131 per hectare for severely damaged crop. These figures were presented at a National Farmers Union bird deterrent event held in December 2014. We do not have figures or estimates for damage overall to other UK crops. However, a small scale consultation in 2014 with growers produced estimates of economic loss associated with woodpigeon crop damage ranging from £125 per hectare for oilseed rape to £250 per hectare for peas and £330-£1,250 per hectare for brassicas. It should be noted that general estimates were often broad, lacked detail or in some cases were not provided.

Pigeons

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of trends in the number of woodpigeons in England.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Breeding Birds Survey 2017 estimates that the number of woodpigeons in England has increased by 39% from 1995 to 2017.

Birds: Pest Control

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he met with the interim Chair of Natural England to discuss the recent withdrawal of General Licences in England.

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has met the new Chairman of Natural England to discuss the withdrawal of General Licences in England.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Secretary of State has discussed Natural England’s approach to the withdrawal of general licences with both Chief Executive Marian Spain and new Chair Tony Juniper.

Home Office

Police: Suicide

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information his Department holds on the number of police officers who have taken their own lives in each of the last ten years.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police forces hold statistics on the number of (a) police officers, (b) police community support officers and (c) police staff taking their own lives.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has issued guidance to police forces on the collection of statistics on the number of police officers taking their own lives; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office does not centrally hold the information requested.The Office for National Statistics publish data on suicide by occupation in England. The latest release can be found here: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/datasets/suicidebyoccupationenglandsupplementarydatatablesThe Home Office has not issued any guidance to police forces on the collection of statistics on the number of police officers taking their own lives.

Fire and Rescue Services: Suicide

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information his Department holds on the number of fire fighters who have taken their own lives in each of the last ten years.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes suicide statistics for the UK for each calendar year. The latest available figures were published by ONS in September 2018 and covered calendar years up to 2017[1].Table 1 below provides the number of deaths caused by suicide in firefighters of a working age (20-64 years old) based on information attained on the death certificate. Please note, data on firefighters in managerial roles has also been provided but this category also includes senior officers in ambulance, prison and related services.  YearFire service officersSenior officers in fire, ambulance, prison and related services2008602009522010312011902012302013732014922015100201660201750 Source: Office for National Statistics Box 1. International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes used to define suicide ICD-10 codesDescriptionX60-X84Intentional self-harm Table 1: Deaths caused by suicide in fire service officers and senior officers in fire, ambulance, prison and related services, aged 20 to 64 years, England and Wales, deaths registered 2008 to 2017[2],[3],[4],[5],[6] [1]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/suicidesintheunitedkingdom/2017registrations[2]Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). This includes all deaths from intentional self-harm for persons aged 10 years and over, and deaths where the intent was undetermined for those aged 15 years and over. The ICD codes used to select the deaths are show in Box 1.[3]Figures are for those aged 20 to 64 years based on usual working age. However, information from the death certificate does not ascertain if the individual was actively in work or retired.[4]Figures for England and Wales include the deaths of non-residents.[5]Figures are for deaths registered, rather than deaths occurring in each calendar year. Due to the length of time it takes to complete a coroner’s inquest, it can take months or even years for a suicide to be registered. More details can be found in the ‘Suicides in the UK’ statistical bulletin.[6]Occupations defined using the Standard Occupation Classification (v.2010). 'Fire service officers' are defined by SOC code 3313 and 'Senior officers in fire, ambulance and prison related services' are defined by SOC code 1173. For information on the classification hierarchy, follow the link below:Information on the Standard Occupation Classification

Cash Dispensing: Theft

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps is his Department taking to tackle gangs using diggers to rip out ATM machines from rural shops.

Victoria Atkins: Justice and policing is devolved to Northern Ireland and Scotland and policing priorities are determined by these areas.Across England and Wales, the Government has ensured that, through the election of Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs), communities have a strong voice in determining how police resources are allocated to tackle the crimes that matter most to them, including those in rural areas. Chief Constables and PCCs are responsible for setting priorities in tackling crime in their areas.The Government is determined to prevent and defend against serious and organised crime. Our new strategy, published in November 2018, sets out how we will mobilise the full force of the state and align our collective efforts.

Cars: Theft

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cars were reported stolen in the last two years.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office does not hold data specifically on the number of cars that were reported stolen. However, information about all stolen vehicles recorded by police in the last 2 years is available and have been released in the Police Recorded Crime Open Data tables, which can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tables

Offensive Weapons: Arrests

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were arrested for carrying a dangerous weapon in 2018.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office collects and publishes data on the number of arrests at the offence group level, including ‘possession of offensive weapons’ offences.Data on the number of arrests for ‘possession of offensive weapons’ are published annually, on a financial year basis, in the ‘Police Powers and Procedures, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin. The latest data, covering the period up to March 2018, can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-powers-and-procedures-england-and-wales-year-ending-31-march-2018

Hoaxes and False Alarms

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to tackle prank calls made to the emergency services.

Mr Nick Hurd: The handling of 999 calls is an operational matter for the police and fire and rescue services. It is for Chief Constables, elected Police Crime Commissioners and Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner and Fire and Rescue Services and Authorities to decide how best to manage their communications and response to the public.

Police: Football

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the overall cost to the police service of policing football matches in each of the last three years.

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what financial support his Department provides to police forces for the policing of football matches.

Mr Nick Hurd: The 2019/20 police funding settlement provides the biggest increase in police funding since 2010. Total police funding is increasing by over £1 billion in 2019/20 compared with last year including council tax and funding to tackle serious violence.Event organisers are responsible for the safety and security of their events, but they are able to request ‘Special Police Services’ from the relevant police force, which the force can charge for. Police forces estimate that it costs around £48m to police football matches in England and Wales.The Home Office UK Football Policing Unit will provide additional funding of up to £521,000 in 2019/20 to support local police operations gathering evidence and obtaining preventative football banning orders against individuals involved in violence or disorder in connection with football matches.

Religious Buildings: Security

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the recent shooting at the San Diego synagogue, what urgent steps he is taking to provide additional funding for security at places of worship.

Mr Ben Wallace: The police are aware of events taking place around the world such as San Diego, Sri Lanka and Christchurch and adapt their operational policing plans, including increased high visibility patrolling, to protect and reassure all our faith communities.On 19 March, the Home Secretary announced a boost in funding for the hate crime Places of Worship Protective Security Funding Scheme to £1.6 million for 2019/20 (excluding synagogues). This is double the amount awarded in 2018/19. Furthermore, £5 million over three years has also been committed to providing security training to places of worship in England and Wales. This will enable staff and volunteers to develop the security understanding necessary to make security measures work more effectively.On 27 February, the Home Secretary announced increased funding for the Jewish Community Protective Security Grant to £14 million for 2019/20. Although this fund is focussed primarily on security at Jewish Schools a proportion of funding is allocated to the security of synagogues. This Grant was introduced in 2015 following a number of terrorist attacks on Jews and Jewish sites in Europe.More widely, the Home Secretary has committed to consulting with faith communities to understand what more could and should be done to help protect faith communities at their places of worship.

Asylum: Dublin Regulations

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cases remain outstanding in the Third Country Unit in her Department.

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the (a) average length of time and (b) current longest time is for cases awaiting consideration by the Third Country Unit

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office is unable to report on how many cases remain outstanding, average length of time and current longest time for cases awaiting consideration by the Third Country Unit as this information is not held electronically in a reportable format.

Genocide: Rwanda

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps he has taken to (a) apprehend and (b) bring to justice people living in the UK who took part in the Rwandan genocide between April and July 1994.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Government is committed to upholding international law and holding those who commit the most serious crimes accountable for their actions.Apprehending and bringing to justice those suspected of crimes is a matter for the police and courts.Extradition requests from Rwanda for five people accused of involvement in the genocide were refused by the courts in July 2017. These individuals are currently under investigation. Any decision to bring charges under UK law will be a matter for the CPS following the investigation.The Government has published guidance to clarify the role of prosecutors and the police on the investigation and prosecution of crimes of universal jurisdiction.The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) War Crimes Unit is a dedicated specialist unit which investigates and prosecutes people living in the UK suspected of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in line with universal jurisdiction and the CPS Counter Terrorism Division has the responsibility for prosecuting such crimes.

Asylum: Glasgow

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether Mears Group plans to rule out the use of lock-change evictions when it commences the contract for providing housing for asylum seekers in Glasgow in September 2019.

Caroline Nokes: Asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute are provided with free, furnished accommodation whilst their asylum claim is under consideration. Where they are granted leave to remain they are free to live and work in the United Kingdom.Those who have been unsuccessful in their asylum claim and do not have leave to remain in the UK are no longer entitled to asylum accommodation and should take steps to leave the UK. UKVI will continue to work with Serco, Mears and Glasgow City Council to ensure that those with no right to be in the UK leave their accommodation in a safe and secure way and that they are provided with the necessary support and advice to make an informed decision about their future.

Visas: Married People

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time taken is for a spousal visa appeal to be considered by UK Visas & Immigration.

Caroline Nokes: Statistics on appeal clearance timescales are published by HM Courts and Tribunals Service on a quarterly basis. The most recent edition (Tribunals and gender recognitions certificates statistics quarterly: October to December 2018) is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tribunals-and-gender-recognition-certificate-statistics-quarterly-october-to-december-2018. Table T_3 contains the closest match to the requested data.

Animal Experiments

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress his Department is making on reducing the use of animals in experiments and replacing such experiments with machine learning.

Mr Ben Wallace: The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 requires project licence holders to ensure that their programme of work does not involve any regulated procedures for which there is a scientifically satisfactory alternative method or testing strategy that does not entail the use of a protected animal.The government is committed to the replacement, reduction, and refinement of the use of animals in research - the ‘3Rs’. Implementing the 3Rs requires that, in every research proposal, animals are replaced with non-animal alternatives wherever possible; that the number of animals is reduced to the minimum needed to achieve the results sought; and that, for those animals which must be used, procedures are refined as much as possible to minimise their suffering.

Stalking: Victims

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to support victims of stalking.

Victoria Atkins: Stalking is an insidious crime that has a deep and significant impact on vic-tims’ wellbeing. Both online and offline, perpetrators leave victims feeling constantly at risk and looking over their shoulder. This Government is committed to ensuring that victims are supported.Our National Statement of Expectations for Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), published in December 2016, sets out the standards which local commissioners should meet when putting in place services to respond to VAWG, including stalking. This includes the need to put the victim at the cen-tre of service delivery.The Home Office part-funds the National Stalking Helpline, operated by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, which has helped over 30,000 people since its inception. Through a grant of £4.1m under the Police Transformation Fund, the Government is also funding the Multi-Agency Stalking Intervention Programme. This aims, across three sites, to test and compare strategies to reduce recidivism on the part of stalking perpetrators and to develop best practice. This should improve the response to victims of stalking, ensuring that they receive consistently high-quality service and improving their satisfaction with police and across the criminal justice system.The Stalking Protection Act 2019, which received Royal Assent on 15th March, will introduce Stalking Protection Orders. These will provide protection to victims at an early stage. Restraining orders can also be issued to those who have been prosecuted for stalking offences, to prevent continued stalking behaviour.

Police: Pensions

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of paying pensions to police widows and widowers for life in the event of their re-marriage or co-habitation.

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many widows and widowers of police officers in England and Wales whose spouses were killed on duty or as a result of injuries sustained on duty have had their pensions revoked as a result of their remarriage or cohabitation before 1 April 2015.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office has estimated with the Government Actuary’s Department that the cost of retaining benefits for all police survivors would increase the police scheme liabilities by around £144m. It is estimated that retaining benefits for all police survivors, including reinstatement of pensions already surrendered, would increase the police scheme liabilities by around £198m.The Home Office does not hold information on the number of survivors’ pensions surrendered on remarriage or cohabitation, as police pensions are administered at police force level by the relevant Police Pension Authority.

Cabinet Office

Cabinet Office: Departmental Responsibilities

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many ministerial requirements have been issued by the Cabinet Secretary in each year since 2010.

Mr David Lidington: I refer the honourable gentleman to recent correspondence from Justin Tomlinson MP, Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work, a copy of which has been placed in the library of the House, which clarifies previous answers on this subject. As the Prime Minister’s most senior policy adviser and Secretary to the Cabinet, the Cabinet Secretary provides advice on a wide range of policy issues. Policy decisions are taken by ministers, within the framework of collective Cabinet responsibility, on the advice of the Civil Service.

Constituencies

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much the last Boundary Commission reviews for (a) England, (b) Northern Ireland, (c) Scotland and (d) Wales cost the public purse.

Kevin Foster: The expenditure by each Boundary Commission on the conduct of the Boundary Review which reported in September 2018 includes costs incurred in the 2018-19 financial year, and the figures are therefore subject to final confirmation of the 2018-19 accounts. The National Audit Office is currently auditing Departmental accounts for 2018-19 and once it has produced its report on them, it will be possible to confirm the final costs incurred by the four Boundary Commissions in the boundary review.

Public Sector: Procurement

Peter Dowd: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many public procurement contracts were awarded to foreign companies in 2018.

Oliver Dowden: Information on the nationality of suppliers is not routinely held centrally. Statistics on cross-border public procurement between EU Member States are collated and published periodically by the European Commission. The latest report is available at https://publications.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/5c148423-39e2-11e7-a08e-01aa75ed71a1

Public Sector: Procurement

Peter Dowd: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many public infrastructure contracts were awarded to foreign companies in the last 12 months.

Oliver Dowden: Information on the nationality of suppliers for infrastructure contracts is not routinely heldcentrallyStatistics on cross-border public procurement between EU Member States are collated andpublished periodically by the European Commission. The latest report is available athttps://publications.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/5c148423-39e2-11e7-a08e-01aa75ed71a1

Public Sector: Procurement

Jo Stevens: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what enforcement and review mechanisms are in place to ensure 30-day payment clauses are in place for suppliers and subcontractors contracted to work with private sector companies on outsourced public sector contracts.

Oliver Dowden: The Public Procurement Regulations require public sector buyers to pay their supplierswithin 30 days and require these payment terms to be passed down the supply chainWhere this is not happening, businesses are encouraged to raise this with the PublicProcurement Review Service, who will investigate. The Public Procurement Review Servicewill also proactively ensure that 30-day payment terms are being passed down the supplychain by carrying out spot checks on contracting authoritiesFrom September, suppliers who do not pay their subcontractors on time may face exclusionfrom winning government contracts.

Huawei: 5G

Jo Platt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the 5G operators which (a) use and (b) do not use the Huawei Cyber Security Evaluation Centre advice.

Mr David Lidington: The UK government works with telecoms operators to manage cyber security risks while ensuring the UK can continue to benefit from new technology. The annual report from the Huawei Cyber Security Evaluation Centre Oversight Board is made publicly available to help all operators assess risks in their networks.

Politics and Government

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has contracted Ipsos Mori to carry out polling on the public perception of the state of the union in the last six months.

Kevin Foster: The Government regularly contracts research to understand public perceptions towards government policy. Government contracts can be found on GOV.UK.

Politics and Government

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has commissioned any research on the public perception of the state of the union in the last three months.

Kevin Foster: The Government regularly contracts research to understand public perceptions towards government policy. Government contracts can be found on GOV.UK.

Cabinet Office: Written Questions

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to respond to Question 237584 on Departmental Responsibilities, tabled on 27 March 2019 by the hon. Member for Liverpool West Derby.

Mr David Lidington: I refer the Right Honourable Member to my answer given to Question 237584 on 8 May 2019.

Department for International Trade

Food: Exports

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps his Department is taking to increase food and drink exports from Northern Ireland to (a) Asia (b) South America and (c) Africa.

Graham Stuart: The Department for International Trade (DIT) collaborates closely with Invest Northern Ireland both here in the UK and overseas to support companies from the region to export globally. We encourage companies to take advantage of overseas opportunities via initiatives such as our Exporting is GREAT campaign, our Tradeshow Access Programme, bespoke “Meet the Buyer” events alongside providing financial support to exporters via UK Export Finance. Her Majesty’s Trade Commissioners, including those for South Asia, Latin America and Africa provide a wealth of export opportunities on Great.gov.uk for companies to access.

Drugs: Exports

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent discussions has he had with his counterparts overseas on the export of UK pharmaceutical products.

Graham Stuart: The United Kingdom pharmaceutical sector is a major exporter with exports of £24.8 billion in 2018. Support to exports by United Kingdom pharmaceutical companies is co-ordinated by the Department for International Trade. We work closely with the sector to identify when Ministerial or official discussions with overseas counterparts are required and there is regular senior level engagement with the major UK pharmaceutical exporters.

Foreign Investment in UK: Northern Ireland

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent steps his Department has taken to increase foreign direct investment into Northern Ireland.

Graham Stuart: I refer the Hon. Member for Upper Bann to the answer given by my Hon. Friend, the Minister of State for Trade Policy, on 12 March to the Hon. Member for Strangford, UIN: 228744.

Free Trade: Dominica

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent steps he has taken to enable free trade with Dominica after the UK leaves the EU.

George Hollingbery: On 22 March, the UK signed an Economic Partnership Agreement with CARIFORUM States, including Dominica. This will provide continuity for businesses, exporters and consumers as the UK prepares to leave the EU.

Free Trade: Lesotho

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent steps he has taken to enable free trade with Lesotho after the UK leaves the EU.

George Hollingbery: We are continuing to work with the Southern African Customs Union and Mozambique partner countries, including Lesotho to replicate the effects of the EU’s Economic Partnership Agreement. In addition, the Taxation (Cross-Border Trade) Act enables the UK to put in place a trade preferences scheme for when we leave the EU. This will grant duty-free, quota-free access to Least Developed Countries, including Lesotho.

Department for International Trade: Emerdata

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether (a) his Department, (b) his Department's agencies and (c) his Department's associated public bodies have entered into contracts with Emerdata Limited in the last year.

George Hollingbery: The Department for International Trade (DIT) has not held any contracts with Emerdata Limited in the last year. DIT does not currently have any agencies or public bodies.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what conditions he has (a) imposed and (b) indicated an intention to impose on the planned use of part of Victoria Tower Gardens for the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre.

Michael Ellis: The Government decided to locate the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre in Victoria Tower Gardens so that the view of Parliament from the Memorial will serve as a permanent reminder of the far-reaching consequences of political decisions. The development of plans will take proper account of relevant legislation and regulations.

Broadcasting Programmes

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will hold discussions with broadcast media on ensuring balanced coverage of people who claim benefits.

Margot James: The government does not influence programming decisions, as broadcasters are editorially independent of government. Ofcom, as the independent communications regulator, is responsible for enforcing the Broadcasting Code which sets rules for licensed broadcasters to follow. This includes a requirement for broadcasters to treat individuals within programmes fairly, and material facts must not be presented in a way that is unfair to an individual. The government is committed to supporting the broadcasting sector to ensure that it provides for and reflects the whole of the UK population, including individuals from different socioeconomic backgrounds.

5G: Rural Areas

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with Ofcom on helping to ensure that the next auction of 5G spectrum promotes coverage of rural communities which might sit beyond mobile operators' roll-out plans.

Margot James: Ministers and officials have regular discussions with Ofcom on a range of subjects. We welcome the proposals for coverage obligations within Ofcom’s latest consultation on the auction of 700 MHz and 3.6-3.8 GHz spectrum and remain committed to working with Ofcom and the mobile industry to ensure that the manifesto commitment to provide 95% geographic mobile coverage across the UK is met.

Data Protection

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many private organisations have been found in breach of General Data Protection Regulations by the Information Commissioner's Office since May 2018.

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will publish (a) a list of the public bodies and agencies who have been found in breach of the General Data Protection Regulations since they came into force in May 2018 and (b) details of any fines that may have been imposed by the Information Commissioner's Office as a result of any breaches.

Margot James: The Government takes the protection of personal data and the right to privacy extremely seriously. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is the independent regulator for data protection in the UK and is responsible for regulating compliance with data protection legislation. The Information Commissioner has the power to serve fines on a data controller as a result of a data breach. Details of enforcement action, including fines, are published on the ICO website at www.ico.org.uk/action-weve-taken

5G

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department has carried out an impact assessment on the effect of banning Huawei equipment from non-core components of the 5G network on the speed of 5G rollout.

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Government plans to change its 5G roll-out targets in light of the reported decision to limit the use of Huawei equipment in the UK's 5G infrastructure.

Margot James: The Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review in July 2018 set out the Government’s strategy for delivering 5G ambitions. The ambitions on 5G are for the UK to become a world leader in the technology and for the majority of the population to have access to a 5G signal by 2027. The terms of reference for the Telecoms Supply Chain Review were published on gov.uk on 8 November 2018. The decisions of the Review will be announced in due course and to Parliament.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Government

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what her response is to the call by the Leader of Sinn Fein on Easter Sunday 2019 for a joint authority over Northern Ireland between the Irish and British Governments; and if she will make a statement.

Karen Bradley: This Government remains steadfast in its commitment to the Belfast Agreement including the principle of consent governing Northern Ireland’s constitutional position. It is on that basis that Northern Ireland is and remains a full and integral part of the United Kingdom. As the Conservative and Unionist Party Northern Ireland General Election Manifesto 2017 clearly stated, “we will not countenance any constitutional arrangements - such as joint authority over Northern Ireland between the United Kingdom and Ireland - that are inconsistent with the consent principle”.

Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assurances she can provide that the resumption of the talks process between political parties in Northern Ireland will not further delay the implementation of the recommendations of the Hart Report in relation to historical institutional abuse in Northern Ireland; and if she will make a statement.

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps she is taking to ensure the appointment by the Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service of an Interim Advocate for victims and survivors of historical institutional abuse; and if she will make a statement.

John Penrose: The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland welcomes the resumption of the talks process between the political parties of Northern Ireland, and will continue to work to restore a functioning Executive. A locally elected, democratically accountable devolved government will mean that decisions affecting the people of Northern Ireland can be taken by locally elected ministers as soon as possible. The Secretary of State also recognises the importance of providing clarity on this issue, and is currently considering the recent judgment and the next steps. The Northern Ireland Civil Service is in the midst of the appointment process for an Interim Advocate and expects the post to be filled shortly.

Northern Ireland Office: Secondment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many civil servants in her Department have been seconded to (a) the Department for Exiting the European Union and (b) the Department for International Trade in each of the last three years.

John Penrose: There have been no civil servants seconded from the Northern Ireland Office to either the Department for Exiting the European Union or the Department for International Trade, in each of the last three years.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Department for Exiting the European Union: Emerdata

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether (a) his Department, (b) his Department's agencies and (c) his Department's associated public bodies have entered into contracts with Emerdata Limited in the last year.

Kwasi Kwarteng: No contracts have been entered into with Emerdata Limited in the last year.